Dr. Alleyne is a physician with Orthopedic Specialists of North County and is associated with Tri City Medical Center and Scripps.  He came to the Tri City area in 1989 and is an orthopedic surgeon that specializes in spinal surgery.  He is one of the most experienced surgeons in the country at using the new robotic guidance technology to assist in spine surgery.
 
Dr. Alleyne He started his lecture by explaining a bit about spinal stenosis, which is a narrowing of the spinal canal.  People with spinal stenosis experience symptoms such as heavy legs, inability to walk long distances without having to sit down and spine pain.  This is an issue that we experience as we age.  He is also extremely experienced in using the new robotic technology for correcting spinal deformities and successfully doing revisions on patients who have had unsuccessful spine surgeries in the past. 
 
Dr. Alleyne explained that in 2012 he went to Texas to learn the new robotic guidance technology being introduced in the US by Mazor Robotics, a company based in Israel.  He began doing the surgeries along with 2 other surgeons that are part of his group and they are now, as of May 2016, approaching 800 surgeries performed using the robotic guidance system. 
 
Dr. Alleyne explained that the robotic guidance system consists of a metal frame that fits over the back during surgery and has an arm on it that is guided by the mapping the surgeons have done pre-surgery on the computer.  This system allows for the surgeon to place screws in the spine with 99.8% accuracy of correct placement to relieve whatever spine issue they are addressing.   He explained that with patients who have deformities or have scar tissue from previous surgeries it is extremely difficult to fine the perfect spot within the vertebra to place a screw.  Through this fluoroscopic guidance that is mapped out on the computer it can be placed in the absolute best area.  This reduces the need for revisions, results in smaller incisions, minimizes radiation, reduces blood loss and has a much quicker recovery period for the patient. 
 
Dr. Alleyne told us that the reduced exposure to radiation compared to traditional spine surgery procedures which used multiple x-rays during surgery will lead to less radiation not only for the patient but also for the surgeons and staff.  He pointed out that cancer amongst surgeons is 3 to 4 times that of the national average because of all of the radiation they are exposed to during surgery. 
 
The most fascinating take-aways from the lecture were that the accuracy of using this robotic guidance system has led to an increased accuracy by 70%, reduced radiation exposure by 56%, reduced complications by 48% and reduced need for revisions by 46%.  When Tri City Medical Center first bought their first Mazor system they were one of only 5 hospitals in the US.  At this point there are about 50 hospitals that have them across the country but Tri City is the only one in San Diego and one of only two hospitals in the nation to have two Mazor robotic systems.   There is no additional cost for the robotic surgery vs. traditional spine surgery and patients are actually going home after only a 2-3 day stay…not to mention they are up and walking the very next day! 
 
This is truly very exciting new technology and it will be exciting to see how this technology continues to grow so that it can be used for neck surgeries which Dr. Alleyne thinks will be very soon.    Dr. Alleyne believes that robotic guided surgery is “a revolution that is here to stay”.  He said that 80% of the population will hurt their back at some point in time.  It is fantastic to know that these new strides are being made in less invasive spine surgeries!