Scripps doctors in Encinitas first in the west to use new technology for spinal surgery

Doctors at Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas on Jan. 10 became the first west of the Rocky Mountains to use new robotic technology to perform a spinal fusion surgery.

The robot, called Mazor X, brings “a new level of accuracy to these delicate operations,” according to a news release from the hospital.

Mazor X uses a variety of integrated technologies to help surgeons develop a pre-operative treatment plan; make automated measurement and alignment calculations; and provide precise intraoperative guidance and verification to ensure the surgical plan is followed to each patient’s unique qualifications.

Scripps orthopedic surgeons Neville Alleyne and Payam Moazzaz performed lumbar spinal fusion surgery — which relieves symptoms of many back conditions — on a patient using Mazor X, which helps guide procedures and was commercially launched in October, according to Scripps.

The Mazor X can be potentially used for patients with degenerative spine conditions, scoliosis, spinal deformities, spinal stenosis, and spinal injury, infection or tumors.

There are currently 11 other Mazor X systems in use in the United States, with Scripps Encinitas having the only one west of the Rockies, according to Scripps.

“This new approach represents a big step forward for patients, because it enables surgeons to be even more precise, consistent and efficient in the operating room,” Alleyne said. “It opens the door for patients with a variety of spinal issues to benefit from this leading-edge treatment approach.”