*First in the World- Shaare Zedek Medical Centre Utilizes Augmented Reality Robotic Technology in Complex Spinal Surgery*
In a further embrace of medical technology that has become a hallmark of the Jerusalem hospital, Dr. Cezar J. Mizrahi performed the first-ever procedure of its type utilizing Augmented Reality (AR) to address an unstable spinal fracture at Shaare Zedek Medical Centre.
The 25-year-old patient was admitted into the hospital’s Emergency Department after being seriously injured in a work-place fall. The trauma team diagnosed an unstable spine fracture that put the man at immediate risk for paralysis and other severe neurological damage. He was quickly transferred into the care of Dr. Cezar J. Mizrahi, a Spine Neurosurgeon from the Spine Surgery Unit, and the Department of Neurosurgery.
After assessing the patient, Dr. Mizrahi considered that the case could benefit from the new technological advancement – specifically a robot-guided augmented reality assisted imaging of the fractured spine. The surgery utilized an AR assistance guided by surgical spine robot, allowing the team to apply surgical screws in an extremely precise fashion along the spinal column.
Dr. Mizrahi summed up the procedure saying, “Bringing together AR and robotics in this minimally invasive technique had never been performed in surgery anywhere in the world. To our great joy, this combination of those new innovations was to the direct benefit of this patient and the overall healthcare improvement for the people of Jerusalem and beyond. The experience of performing surgery equipped with an AR headset felt like being a combat pilot. I had all the patient’s vital information, including the CT images, displayed directly in front of me. I could look one way and see the lineup of the surgical screws that I had planned out before the procedure and then look down and see the surgical field magnified. The experience helped to perform the procedure exactly as I planned it, and only make adjustments that I might have felt necessary as the surgery developed.”
Dr. Nevo Margalit, Director of the Department of Neurosurgery added, “We view the chance to embrace all technological advancements for the benefit of our patients with the utmost importance. We are committed to be on the forefront of introducing new and future technologies for the betterment of medicine here in Israel and around the world.”
Dr. Yair Barzilai, Director of the Spine Surgery Unit said, “The Spine Unit at Shaare Zedek is acting as a technological pioneer which is the result of close partnership with the digital healthcare industry which is being realized with this procedure and has been seen with the integration of other robotic technologies.
We were very glad to see the excellent results after this surgery performed by Dr. Mizrahi where he was able to address an unstable fracture that without successful intervention could have seen the patient suffering from severe neurological damage.”
The patient reported feeling good after being cared for in the Department of Neurosurgery. He was able to walk without any assistance immediately after the surgery and is expected to be released from the hospital in the coming days. He thanked the hospital staff saying, “The procedure went successfully, and we are so thankful for Dr. Mizrahi’s treatment. Before the surgery we were very worried and didn’t know what would be, but it was performed quickly and successfully, and I’ve recovered faster than expected. I can walk now. Dr. Mizrahi regularly comes to check on me and from the bottom of my heart I’m just so grateful.”