Review highlights UCI Health orthopaedic surgeons

UCI Health orthopaedic surgeons Samuel Bederman, MD, PhD; Nitin N. Bhatia, MD; and Douglas Kiester, MD, PhD; were selected by Becker's Spine Review for inclusion on its list of “49 Spine Surgeons Using Robotic Technology.”

Many of the spine surgeons and specialists on this list were among the first surgeons in their area to adopt robotic guidance and technology into their procedures. Some have participated in the ongoing efforts to develop and refine the robotic technology and continue to provide feedback for next-generation software and equipment.

 In 2011, Drs. Bederman and Bhatia performed the first robot-assisted spine surgery on the West Coast.

They used a robotics system called SpineAssist to increase the precision of spinal implant placement in a Los Angeles woman who had undergone two previous operations, including a spinal fusion in 2007 to treat a degenerative disk. The patient had developed another herniated disk in her lower back that caused pain and sciatica. The goal of the SpineAssist procedure – a spinal fusion performed with screws and grafts – was to alleviate her discomfort and stabilize the spine. 

Members of Becker's list were selected based on editorial research. Physicians do not pay and cannot pay to appear on this list. Becker's Spine Review is a Chicago-based online and print publication focused on news and analysis of the business and legal issues related to spine surgeons and practices.

UCI Health comprises the clinical, medical education and research enterprises of the University of California, Irvine. Patients can access UCI Health at physician offices throughout Orange County and at its main campus, UC Irvine Medical Center in Orange, Calif., a 412-bed acute care hospital that provides tertiary and quaternary care, ambulatory and specialty medical clinics, behavioral health and rehabilitation. U.S. News & World Report has listed it among America’s Best Hospitals for 13 consecutive years. UC Irvine Medical Center features Orange County’s only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, high-risk perinatal/neonatal program, Level I trauma center and Level II pediatric trauma center, and is the primary teaching hospital for UC Irvine School of Medicine. UCI Health serves a region of more than 3 million people in Orange County, western Riverside County and southeast Los Angeles County.