1st-Ever 'Awake' Spinal Surgery Performed In Walnut Creek

WALNUT CREEK, CA — Dr. Terence Chen, a neuro and spine surgeon at John Muir Health, recently performed the first awake spine surgery at the health system’s Walnut Creek Medical Center.

The procedure to fuse the patient’s L4 and L5 vertebrae was done using the Globus ExcelsiusGPS® robotic spine surgery system. The patient, Roberto Lonardo, suffered from back issues in recent years caused by degenerative discs. He had a successful previous spine surgery performed by Chen in 1995.

The surgery involves using spinal anesthesia for selected operations, such as the Intradiscal Lumbar Interbody Fusion (IntraLIF), a "next generation" minimally invasive procedure performed on Lonardo, according to Ben Drew, spokesperson for John Muir Health.

Chen used the Globus ExcelsiusGPS® robot to plan and place the required screws for the surgery before implanting the RISE® IntraLif® device in the disc space to complete the spinal fusion, Drew said.

Using advanced 3D imaging and robotics reduces the patient's surgical time and the patient benefits from having a shorter-acting spinal anesthesia. Compared to traditional procedures, minimally invasive approaches using 3D imaging and robotics can also reduce the extent of surgical openings, tissue trauma and radiation exposure.

“The surgery was very successful, and Mr. Lonardo was able to go home on the same day,” Chen said. “Not having to undergo general anesthesia allows for quicker recovery. We do surgery in the morning, send the patient to recovery, then conduct two afternoon physical therapy sessions to make sure they can be safely discharged.”

Lonardo started his physical therapy at the medical center two hours after leaving the operating room.

“Being awake gave me more peace of mind,” said Lonardo. “I felt a lot better following the procedure than I ever have with general anesthesia. It was a night and day difference. I was able to get up and move around quickly and I didn’t feel groggy. I feel great and am not having any pain."

At home, Londardo used acetaminophen to control his pain and appreciated not having a long hospital stay.

"There are many patient benefits to awake spine surgery, including the recovery time, managing the use of narcotics for the surgery and pain, and being able to recover at home,” Chen said. “We want to make awake spine surgery a standard for eligible patients at John Muir Health.”