Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta First Pediatric Facility in U.S. to Offer Robot-Assisted Scoliosis Surgery

Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta is the first pediatric facility in the U.S. to offer robot-guided scoliosis surgery.

The SpineAssist surgical guidance system allows a surgeon to pre-plan a procedure in a CT-based 3D simulation of the patient’s spine.  During the surgery a robotic extension arm guides the surgeon to the pre-planned location.  While only four health care facilities in the U.S. currently use the system, it is widely used in Europe.

Dennis Devito, M.D., an orthopaedic surgeon at Children’s, pioneered the use of the device in pediatric scoliosis patients.  In a study performed by Devito, he found improved accuracy when using the robotic guidance system for screw implantation in scoliosis patients.

“Worldwide, Children’s has the largest volume of experience using robotic guidance in pediatric patients,” said Devito. “We’re excited to offer scoliosis patients this leading-edge device.”

At Children’s, pediatric orthopaedic surgeons care for thousands of patients who require specialized surgical treatment for a variety of conditions, throughout Georgia, the Southeast and internationally.