Robotic Spine Surgery at Silver Cross Gets Area Mom Moving Again

Jessica Noble felt so good after spinal fusion surgery in July, she attended her cousin’s bachelorette celebration just two weeks later!

That’s because the 29-year-old Oak Lawn woman had a revolutionary new kind of robotic spine surgery…available only at Silver Cross Hospital.

“Some of the girls in the party didn’t even know I’d had surgery,” the 29-year-old Oak Lawn woman boasted.

But prior to the life-changing procedure performed by orthopedic spine surgeon Chintan Sampat, M.D., Noble had near-constant lower back pain, initially caused by a college volleyball injury and made nearly unbearable by a head-on car collision last fall. The pain often radiated down her right leg, making standing and walking uncomfortable.

She tried physical therapy, pain medications and spinal injections to no avail. As a working mom with a 3-year-old toddler to chase after, Noble was desperate for a solution. Then a cousin referred her to Dr. Sampat, and the rest is history!

The Midwest Institute for Robotic Surgery at Silver Cross is the first in Illinois and the entire tri-state area to use a navigation-guided robotic system to enhance the safety and accuracy of minimally invasive robotic spine surgery. And Jessica was the first patient to experience its benefits.

The hospital’s new Globus ExcelsiusGPSTM system combines sophisticated robotic technology with an advanced navigation system, similar to that in a car, to guide the surgeon during delicate spinal fusion procedures.

Before surgery, X-ray or computerized tomography (CT) images are taken and fed into the ExcelsiusGPSTM system to create a “map” of the patient’s anatomy. This map and real-time 3D images taken during surgery help the surgeon maneuver a robotic arm to the exact location for precisely placed spinal screws, with the robot guiding the direction, depth and angle of the surgeon’s hands.

“The surgeon is still in complete control, but this new robotic instrument offers the added benefit of 3D-guided navigation, which allows for precision and success during robotic spinal fusion surgery,” Dr. Sampat explained.

Since it’s minimally invasive and streamlined, patients experience less pain, scarring, and blood loss, fewer complications, less radiation exposure and a faster recovery so they can return to doing what they enjoy.

Jessica is proof of that! The busy working mom is keeping up with her daughter once again and looks forward to resuming fitness workouts after she completes physical therapy.

“I couldn’t do that before without a lot of pain,” she said. “I may even go back to playing sports.”

Free Lectures about Back Pain and Robotic Spine Surgery

If you or someone you know is suffering from chronic back pain, attend a free lecture presented by orthopedic spine surgeons Chintan Sampat, M.D., and Cary Templin, M.D., between Sept. 27 and Dec. 6. The following lectures will be presented at the Silver Cross Conference Center, Pavilion A, 1890 Silver Cross Blvd., New Lenox: Thursday, Sept. 27, 6 p.m.; Tuesday, Oct. 30, 8 a.m.; Thursday, Nov. 8, 6 p.m.; Wednesday, Nov. 14, 6 p.m.; and Thursday, Dec. 6, 6 p.m. Register at midwestroboticsurgery.org or call 1-888-660-HEAL (4325).