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‘GPS-like’ spinal surgery now available at Englewood Health
Hospital says it's first in NJ, one of 20 nationwide to offer robot-assisted Excelsius Ecosystem
Jessica Perry//June 27, 2022//
‘GPS-like’ spinal surgery now available at Englewood Health
Hospital says it's first in NJ, one of 20 nationwide to offer robot-assisted Excelsius Ecosystem
Jessica Perry//June 27, 2022//
The technology is so precise, it’s “GPS-like.” But the subject is not about navigating in a traditional sense—this specific application is for internal navigation.
Now in use at Englewood Health — the first hospital in the state and one of just 20 nationwide, according to the health care provider — the Excelsius Ecosystem is a robotic imaging and navigation platform that will enhance patient safety, improve accuracy and efficiency for procedures, and allow for minimally invasive surgeries.
According to Dr. Kevin Yao, Englewood’s chief of neurosurgery, the adoption brings the hospital to “the next era of spine surgery.”
“It facilitates more precise and more minimally invasive” procedures, he said in a statement, “which will translate into shorter patient recoveries and better outcomes.”
In traditional spine surgeries, the procedure is either performed percutaneously (minimally invasive surgery) or open, requiring several types of imaging equipment. According to Englewood, Globus Medical‘s Excelsius Ecosystem is an all-in-one — combining the Excelsius3D and ExcelsiusGPS — offering an enhanced view of a patient’s anatomy with “a comprehensive intraoperative image-guided robotic surgery tool.”
“Robot-assisted navigation can also help increase predictability of outcomes,” said Dr. Asit Shah, chief of orthopedic surgery at Englewood Health. “It is like a GPS for the spine, which gives surgeons a very precise way to choose exactly where to place surgical hardware, such as metal screws.”
How it works
To be successful, spinal surgery requires the placement of surgical hardware to hold vertebrae, Englewood Health said. ExcelsiusGPS produces real-time information before, and during, a procedure so that surgeons can place the screws and rods using robotic navigation — and the high-level of precision that affords — from the cervical to the sacroiliac regions of the spine.
The Ecosystem brings together a robotic arm with those navigation capabilities to create a single platform.
Radiology images are taken the day of surgery and imported into the Excelsius equipment. Then, Englewood said, the surgeon uses the images to determine the size and placement of implants and to create a specific plan based on that patient’s anatomy. The surgeon uses that plan to guide the equipment’s robotic arm, following a pathway like a GPS.
That course and live images are visible to the surgeons and utilized during the procedure to place the implants using surgical instruments. The accuracy of that placement is confirmed by 3D image before the patient leaves the operating room.
At Englewood, patients in need of spinal procedures including lumbar or thoracic fusion will benefit in addition to those with conditions like degenerative disc disease, fractures, scoliosis, spinal stenosis and spinal tumors. Beyond that, the hospital said it expects to expand the technology’s use in other spinal procedures.
In addition to improved accuracy and patient safety, Englewood says the advancement allows for improved efficiency: Thanks to the enhanced visualization, more procedures can be performed with minimal invasion, leading to smaller incisions, less tissue damage, reduced pain after-the-fact, shorter stays in the hospital and a faster return to activity.
“Many spine surgeries that traditionally required large incisions can now be performed through slit-like openings,” Yao added. “This is beneficial for patients, allowing them to mobilize more comfortably and sooner.”
According to Globus Medical, the first clinical cases performed using the Excelsius3D with ExcelsiusGPS were performed in May 2022, at MedStar Union Memorial Hospital, Northwest Specialty Hospital and NYU Langone Health.
At the beginning of June, Englewood Health announced it was first in the state to pilot a new (no incision, no scar) treatment for varicose veins.
