WashU Medicine continually strives for better ways to treat patients, and our surgeons adopt the best technologies and approaches from around the world.
In June the first robotic-assisted integrated spine surgery was performed at Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital by WashU neurosurgeon Wilson “Zack” Ray, MD, MBA, and WashU orthopedic surgeon John Clohisy, Jr., MD. The new technology provides superior navigation for spinal surgery and dramatically reduces the opportunity for errors with the placement of screws and hardware. What does that mean for patients? A safe and minimally invasive surgery, a reduction in the level of radiation exposure for patients and the operating team, faster recovery, and a reduced need for pain medication.
“Being able to offer robotic-assisted integrated spine surgery at Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital is a huge win for our patients,” said Dr. Ray, chief of the division of neurological spine surgery. “It means increased safety for the patient because of the improved accuracy and precision of the hardware. The combined effort of integrating WashU Neurosurgery and Orthopaedics allows us to reach the broader St. Louis community with the most cutting-edge techniques available.”
“At Washington University, we are fortunate to have specialists in Orthopaedic Surgery and in Neurosurgery who care for patients with spine problems,” said Dr. Clohisy, Jr. “With this comes a variety of training backgrounds and areas of clinical expertise. This integrated approach allows us to work together to ensure that our patients have the best possible outcomes.”
To learn more about the spine injuries and disorders that WashU neurosurgeons treat, click here or call 314-362-3577 to set up an appointment.