Robotic spinal surgery makes 'huge difference'

One of the first patients to undergo robotic surgery on his spine thanks to a £835,000 donation to a hospital says he would "highly recommend" the procedure.

The League of Friends charity donated the money to Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton to allow them to access robotic technology for spinal fusion surgeries.

Musgrove is now only the second hospital of its size - outside of the large teaching hospitals - to have access to what the NHS describes as "revolutionary" technology.

Nigel Robinson was one of the first patients to undergo the surgery and said: "I'm looking forward to walking again and getting myself better that way because I'm not a spring chicken anymore."

Spinal fusions are usually carried out for patients with back pain or cancer.

"I've had serious back pain for about 13 years. I'm in recovery through alcohol and drugs and my body doesn't want to take all these drugs for pain relief," Robinson added.

"The consultant said I was an ideal candidate for the surgery.

"The precision is real good compared with a human hand, and the infection rate will be a lot less. I'd highly recommend it."

Ashol Subramanian, consultant spinal surgeon at Musgrove, said: "This has helped us to perform spinal fusion surgery safely.

"We've got only a few millimetres of a safe zone there - and if you miss that it's a risk of injury."

He said having the option of robotic surgery will "make a huge difference".

"From the surgeon's point of view, we can focus on complex stages of the surgery with a fresher mind because the thinking is done outside the theatre beforehand," he added.

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