Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport Neurosurgeon First in State to Perform Single Position Robotic Spine Fusion Surgery

Dr. Stanley Hoang, a neurosurgeon at Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport, is the first physician in the state of Louisiana to perform a robotic single position prone lumbar fusion surgery using the Medtronic Mazor robot. The surgery, which is used to treat disc problems in the lower back, is typically performed in two parts. “Traditionally, when we do these operations, it’s as two separate operations,” said Hoang.

“The first one is when the patient lies in a lateral position. And then they have to be turned in the prone position for the second part of the procedure. Now with the robot, it allows us do everything in one position. So it saves time, it saves resources, and it makes surgery faster and more efficient.

And also more safe.” By using the latest technology in minimally invasive spine surgery, Dr. Hoang and his team are able to reduce surgery time, allowing patients to recover faster with fewer complications and less pain. Hoang says robotic surgery is not one in which a machine does the all the work.

Instead, he compares it to using a GPS when taking a trip. It guides the physician in exact placement of the screws used to fuse the spine. “So, the robot allows us to do the screw placement very accurately and very efficiently. So, for example, instead of having to guess where to put the screws in, the robot will guide us and tell us exactly where to go,” Hoang said.

“Similar to like when you are driving your car somewhere. Instead of using a map, you can use a GPS, and the GPS will give you turn-by-turn directions. So it’s the same thing with a with a robot; it allows us to have kind of turn-by-turn guidance about where to put the screws in safely.” Hoang says if a person has had no success in treating back pain through physical therapy or pain management, it may be time to see a neurosurgeon.

With this minimally invasive single position robotic spine fusion surgery, a patient could be back to normal activities in a much shorter amount of time. Dr. Stanley Hoang, a neurosurgeon, is the Director of Advanced Spinal Technologies at Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport. He sees patients at Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport – Neurosurgery Center at 945 Margaret Place, Suite 100 in Shreveport, Louisiana.