LHSC performs a Canadian first in robot-assisted direct lateral spine surgery
Spine surgery may never be the same for people with chronic back pain and other physical ailments.
Earlier this year, London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) became the first hospital in Canada to perform robot assisted direct lateral spine surgery.
The patient was London, Ont. resident Dave Meyn, now 57 years old.
He’s currently walking without pain, but it wasn’t that way not so long ago.
“I’d have occasion where I would even fall down, couldn’t feel my leg,” explained Meyn. “It eventually came to the point where I had to come into ER and get some immediate attention,” he said.
In February 2023, his chronic back pain led to sciatica in his right leg and extreme pain in his lower back.
About a year later, in February 2024, he received the robot-assisted surgery.
He was home within a couple days.
Dr. Victor Yang, neurosurgeon at LHSC speaks with patient Dave Men on April 25, 2024. Meyn received robot-assisted direct lateral spine surgery in February 2024. (Bryan Bicknell/CTV News London)
“I basically went from not being able to walk not very far at all to having my life back,” he said.
There have only been six of these surgeries performed at LHSC so far, and Meyn’s was the first.
Not just the first at the southern Ontario hospital, but the first in Canada.
The surgery utilizes the Mazor X spinal robot. Dr. Victor Yang, neurosurgeon at LHSC performed the Canadian-first surgery.
He explained that it eliminates the need for a second surgery.
“Dave is not the first patient to receive the surgery in our hospital but he’s the first person to receive the surgery by doing it minimally invasively and going at it from two different directions without waking him up and without staging the surgery over two days, and without flipping him on the operating table. All of that reduces the time and the suffering he may have,” said Dr. Yang.
According to LHSC, chronic back pain affects nearly eight million Canadians, and it can be debilitating.
As for Meyn, he’s in recovery for a few more months, but he no longer takes simple tasks for granted.
“From putting on your socks to leaning over the sink to brush your teeth,” he said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Work stoppage possible as WestJet issues lockout notice to maintenance engineers' union
A lockout notice issued by WestJet to a union representing aircraft maintenance engineers could result in a work stoppage next week.
Maple Leafs eliminated from NHL playoffs with Game 7 OT loss to Bruins
Sheldon Keefe told his players hockey history would remember them one way or another.
‘Love has no boundaries’: Sask. couple in their 90s and 80s get married
Eighty-two-year-old Susan Neufeldt and 90-year-old Ulrich Richter are no spring chickens, but their love blossomed over the weekend with their wedding at Pine View Manor just outside of Rosthern.
What a judge's gag order on Trump means in his hush money case
A gag order bars Trump from commenting publicly on witnesses, jurors and some others connected to the matter. The New York judge already has found that Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for president, repeatedly violated the order, fined him US$9,000 and warning that jail could follow if he doesn't comply.
Should you save or splurge on makeup this summer?
If you're wondering whether you should splurge or save when it comes to buying skincare products and makeup this summer, we got some answers for you.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
London Drugs begins 'gradual reopening' on 7th day after cyberattack
Almost a week after all London Drugs stores across Western Canada abruptly closed amid a cyberattack, they began a "gradual reopening" on Saturday.
opinion You don't need to be an influencer to earn income from social media
How legitimate are claims by some content creators that the average person can earn passive income from social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram? Personal finance columnist Christopher Liew says it's quite possible, if you're willing to put in the initial time and effort.
Ukraine marks its third Easter at war as it comes under fire from Russian drones and troops
As Ukraine marked its third Easter at war, Russia on Sunday launched a barrage of drones concentrated in Ukraine's east, wounding more than a dozen people, and claimed its troops took control of a village they had been targeting.