Gwinnett Tech was an eager host when Mazor Surgical Technologies,
whose U.S. office is in Atlanta, contacted surgical technology
program director T.C. Parker to ask if the company could use its
facilities for a product demonstration.
The company demonstrated for and taught surgeons from as far away as
Massachusetts and California as Mazor officials operated on cadavers.
The technology is about 2 years old and is being used in 14
hospitals worldwide, said Yair Peleg, a Mazor customer service and
technical support employee.
The cost per unit is $175,000.
The product's centerpiece is a small cylindrical robot
sheathed in blue plastic.
X-ray and CT scan images of the spine are fed into a computer. Using
those, doctors determine where they want to drill into the vertebra
and insert screws to fuse vertebrae, repair fractures or correct
scoliosis.
The SpineAssist robot sits atop a platform that is mounted on the
spine. The robot's arm holds a guide tube through which the drill and
screws are threaded. The robot adjusts so that the tube and drill
insert the screws at the right spot and angle.
Considering that mispositioning a screw by no more than 2 millimeters
can mean paralysis, precision is paramount. Peleg said the robot
helps doctors be accurate to within half a millimeter.
At Gwinnett Technical College in Lawrenceville, USA, an Israeli
company demonstrated its spinal surgery robot to potential customers
and students.