First Hungarian RA Spine Surgery

The First Robot-Assisted Spinal Surgery Undertaken in Hungary with the Cirq system
"The first robot-assisted spinal surgery in Hungary has been completed at the Manninger Jeno Traumatology Centre of Budapest, neurosurgeon Arpad Viola, who performed the operation, told a press conference. 

The operation, performed last Thursday in two steps, took between 2.5-3 hours, Viola said. In the first phase all details of the procedure were planned, and in the second, the tumour was removed, the surgeon assisted by the robot in both phases.

According to the surgeon, robot-assisted procedures greatly increase patient safety. The implants used in such operations can be quickly put in place through a smaller incision than with conventional operations, reducing the risk of complications and staff's exposure to radiation.

Concerning the traumatology centre, in Budapest's Fiumei Street, Viola said that it treated 17 percent of all serious cases nationwide, including an annual 1,100 spinal injuries. The hospital has tested a German and a US-made robot in its operating theatres and will later select one for purchase, he added.

Viola said a spinal surgery robot cost some 480 million forints (EUR 1.2m), while building an operating theatre to house it cost 1.2 billion forints.

He said the hospital management "trusts that decision makers realise that equipping the centre with robots is good investment.""

Source: XpatLoop

Image credit: Index