Asante Offers New Relief for People Suffering from Painful Spine Conditions
The only hospital in Oregon to offer this advanced robotic technology
Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center is the first hospital in Oregon to pioneer a new technology for people needing spine surgery. Mazor X (pronounced Mah-zoor) is robotic technology that enhances surgical precision and improves surgical outcomes for patients.
Minimally-invasive spine surgery using Mazor X can help people with serious spine problems such as herniated discs, vertebral fractures, traumatic spine injury, degenerative disc disease, spinal weakness or instability, slipped disc (spondylolisthesis) and narrowing of the spinal canal (stenosis).
Asante Rogue Regional first began employing robotic-assisted surgery technology in 2012. “Asante has a long history of bringing advanced and beneficial technology to the patients we serve,” said Kristi Blackhurst, RN, vice president of operations at Asante Rogue Regional. “Technology is a partner in medical care and using Mazor X puts the patient at the center of their personalized treatment plan.”
As with other robotic surgical devices, Mazor X does not perform actual surgeries on its own. Instead, its software provides surgeons with information and anatomical images of the patient’s spine to create a surgical plan — a 3-D blueprint of the operation — that is previewed with the patient. In the operating room using that blueprint, Mazor X robotic technology helps guide the surgeon through the operation with more accuracy than traditional surgery.
“This 3-D model helps us identify potential challenges, better assess the patient's anatomy to determine the best implants and develop a personalized care plan for each patient,” said neurosurgeon Timothy Uschold, MD, a physician on the staff of Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center. “The Mazor X system is setting a new standard of care that links the knowledge and proficiency of surgeons with digital data and analysis."
Benefits to patients include a lower risk of post-surgery complications, reduced risk of radiation exposure, faster recovery times and less pain after the surgery.
Surgical services using Mazor X are provided by physicians of Southern Oregon Neurosurgical & Spine Associates with the first surgeries beginning in June.
