For the first time in Israel: an innovative operation to fuse a spinal fracture was performed through the abdomen Israel today

The way to the back goes through the stomach:

an innovative technology with a minimally invasive approach was applied for the first time, about two weeks ago, at the Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem, in an operation to repair a spinal fracture through the abdominal cavity.

In the innovative robotic surgery, screws are used, which are made through them autonomously after planning in advance to the exact position in the spine through the abdominal cavity, thus saving the patients a difficult and complex surgery.

The first to be operated on was Leah Beaton, 65 years old, who suffered an unusual fracture in her spine and thanks to the innovative surgery she was able to walk without pain just two days later.

Leah and the team of doctors, photo: Sha'are Tzedek

Dr. Cesar Mizrahi, a neurosurgeon and spine surgery specialist, has performed dozens of this type of surgery in Melbourne, Australia in recent years. In light of the success of the cases in Australia and around the world, the method was brought to Israel for the first time and the result is extraordinary.

The innovative surgery was performed in a multidisciplinary collaboration together with a bariatric specialist, Dr. Rami Shapira, director of the bariatric surgery unit at Shaare Zedek and a spine specialist, and Dr. Yair Barzilai, director of the spine surgery unit at Shaare Zedek.

On Friday late in the morning while washing her house, Leah slipped and fell on her wrist.

The fall occurred when she was healthy, independent and functioning.

As a result of the fall, Leah felt severe pain in her hand and in all parts of her body and turned to the emergency medical center of 'Terem' for a response.

An examination that was performed showed a fracture in the wrist and the hand was cast.

Later she was also analyzed.

Leah says that she did not notice that the intense pain she felt in her whole body was the result of an unusual fracture in the spine that was not detected due to the sharp pain in her hand.

"The pain in my hand was so intense, I didn't even think that I had also injured my spine until I suddenly felt that I was no longer able to stand and move around.

As time passed, the pain intensified.

I decided to check the pain and was referred to Dr. Cesar Mizrahi, a neurosurgeon and spine specialist at Shaare Tzedek. Besides his human approach, he was very thorough and asked me to undergo a series of tests that demonstrated a severe fracture in the spine near the lower back."

Direct access to the spine 

The surgery began with a tiny incision of a few millimeters in the abdomen, performed by Dr. Ram Shapira, an expert in this type of surgery in the abdominal cavity and director of the bariatric surgery unit, and continued with the nerve release and anterior fixation by Dr. Mizrahi and Dr. Barzilai. Minimally invasive by a robot - one of the most innovative systems available today in the world by the MAZOR company that allows the exact location of the entire fixation system to be located.

Dr. Shapira explained: "In surgery, we open a tiny opening with a minimally invasive approach through the abdominal wall, without entering the abdominal cavity.

The outstanding advantage of this approach is the direct transition to the vertebral body without exposing the nerves at all.

The extensive experience in bariatric surgeries allows us the most convenient way of access without any damage to the nearby organs at all.

This approach allows for a better recovery with almost no pain.'

Dr. Mizrahi emphasized that: "Working in the narrow space in the tiny opening requires great skill, since the arteries and veins of the abdominal cavity and the spinal nerves are exposed and we surgeons have little maneuverability.

The state-of-the-art instrumentation with robotic guidance using a first-of-its-kind fixation system in Israel that supports the spine at 360 degrees saves cuts in the muscles and enables a faster and more accurate fusion without pain.

Small incision surgeries enable optimal results without injuring the muscles, and save invasive and painful surgeries that take over a month to recover from.

A number of studies have already examined the subject, which compares the data related to success and recovery time between minimally invasive surgeries and "open" surgeries with a significant advantage to a minimally invasive approach. In addition, it has already become very clear that the fixation of a spine under the use of a robot is more accurate in comparison to the traditional methods. I am proud to be among the pioneers in the most innovative approaches that improve the quality of life of our patients."

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