Medtronic Releases Mazor X Stealth Edition Robot for Spinal Surgeries

Medtronic, having recently acquired Mazor Robotics, an Israeli spinal surgery firm, just announced the launch of the Mazor X Stealth Edition in the United States. The system provides planning, workflow, procedural execution, and confirmation capabilities to accurately place instruments and tools during spinal surgeries. “It is rare that huge sectors of technology such as robotics and navigation merge into a sole platform as found in the Mazor X Stealth Edition. Combined, these may provide more predictable and reliable execution of our procedure workflows,” said Jeffrey Gum, M.D., an orthopedic spine surgeon at Norton Leatherman Spine, one of the first places to get the new system. “Computerized surgical planning, 3-D assessment of spine anatomy, robotic guidance and live navigation feedback are designed to provide a higher degree of accuracy throughout the surgical procedure.” The system combines Medtronic’s Stealth software with Mazor’s existing robotic technology, as the company describes, “to deliver workflow predictability and flexibility through real-time image guidance, visualization and navigation informed by interactive 3-D planning and information systems.” It uses 3D cameras, guidance markers, and a robotic arm to keep a continuous watch over the location of tools and instruments in relation to the spine and to position them precisely as planned.