A surgery team at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland performed the system's first surgical removal of a herniated disc without the use of general anesthesia.
The surgical team included neurosurgeon Josiah Orina, MD, and anesthesiologist Kevin Blaine, MD, according to a Dec. 19 news release from OHSU. The patient underwent minimally invasive microdiscectomy using only local spinal anesthesia and is recovering well.
Dr. Blaine said in the release he expects the anesthesia method will be used for future awake spine procedures and has been made possible due to advancements in spine surgery.