Greenwich Hospital first in region to offer Neurosurgery robotic navigation for spine surgery

Greenwich, CT (Sept. 10, 2018) – Greenwich Hospital has acquired the Globus ExcelsiusGPS robotic navigation system to become the only medical center in Fairfield and Westchester counties to offer patients this innovative technology for minimally invasive spine surgery.

On Aug. 16, 2018, Scott Simon, MD, with Orthopaedic & Neurosurgery Specialists, became the first neurosurgeon to use the robotic navigation system at Greenwich Hospital. The navigation equipment enables extremely precise placement of screws or implants during spinal surgery, minimizing time and increasing accuracy.

“Greenwich Hospital is committed to providing our surgeons with the best tools to achieve the best patient results,” said Norman G. Roth, president and chief executive officer. “We are using this technology to ensure our spine procedures are as safe and precise as possible.”

According to Dr. Simon, “The ExcelsiusGPS robot and navigation platform makes spinal surgery safer and more effective by allowing for precise implant placement regardless of the challenges presented by patient’s anatomy or history of previous surgery.”

The state-of-the-art system is the first to combine surgical navigation and robotic guidance for spinal surgery, offering significant advantages to surgeons. Globus Medical Inc. received U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval to sell the system in the United States last year.

The system is compatible with several imaging modalities, including computed tomography (before and during surgery) and fluoroscopic imaging. The images are imported into the robotic navigation system, which creates a map that surgeons can use as a guide. Surgeons use the machine to place the screws with unprecedented accuracy during spine surgery.

Neurosurgeon Khalid Abbed, MD, of Yale Medicine, who uses this equipment at Yale New Haven Hospital, and neurosurgeons Paul Apostolides, MD, have also begun operating with the robotic navigation system at Greenwich Hospital. In the coming weeks, Arianne Boylan, MD and Andrea Douglas, MD will begin to use the new technology.