Empowering spine surgeons with real-time precision: Inside the Mazor X revolution

Spinal surgery has long been one of the most demanding fields in modern medicine — where fractions of a millimetre can define the line between relief and long-term dysfunction.

For decades, surgeons have worked under significant constraints: visualising deep structures through small incisions, correcting deformity in delicate regions, and placing instrumentation by feel and fluoroscopic estimates.

But robotic-assisted systems like the Mazor X Stealth Edition are changing this landscape — giving spine specialists new levels of control, confidence, and precision.

And in the UK, one of the early adopters of this advanced technology is Mr Gordan Grahovac, leading consultant complex spinal surgeon and neurosurgeon.

He said: “It is privilege to be able to be one of the first in the country to be able to use cutting edge enabling technology to provide best care for patients”

The Need for Greater Accuracy in Spinal Surgery

Spine surgery often involves stabilising the spinal column using screws, rods or interbody devices — particularly in conditions such as spinal instability, deformity, spinal infection, metastatic spinal disease and spinal trauma.

But screw placement, especially near the spinal cord and nerves, must be accurate to within millimetres.

Traditional methods rely on 2D fluoroscopic imaging and the surgeon’s anatomical estimation. This can be limiting, particularly in revision surgeries, obese patients, patients with challenging anatomy, or those with severe deformity.

Malpositioned implants can lead to nerve or spinal cord injury, failed fusions, and reoperations.

The Mazor X addresses this challenge directly.

What Is the Mazor X Stealth Edition?

The Mazor X Stealth Edition, developed by Medtronic, is a next-generation robotic spine platform that combines preoperative 3D planning with real-time intraoperative navigation:

• Pre-surgical planning: Surgeons create a highly detailed surgical plan using CT data, including optimal screw trajectories and implant angles tailored to each patient’s anatomy.
• Intraoperative execution: The robotic arm positions guidance sleeves with millimetre precision, allowing instruments and screws to be placed exactly along the planned paths.
• Real-time navigation: The system integrates with Medtronic’s StealthStation™ navigation, updating the plan in real time and allowing for adaptive decision-making during surgery.

Mr Grahovac said: “Ability to plan and to execute the preoperative plan with the accuracy in millimeters helps to make surgery safer, quicker with more predictable outcomes for the patient”

Gordan Grahovac: An Active User of Mazor X

Since first adopting the system in early 2024, Mr Grahovac has used Mazor X in over 50 complex spinal procedures, including:

• Multi-level lumbar fusions in patients suffering from degenerative thoraco lumbar spinal disease
• Adult spinal trauma
• Spinal infection
• Spinal metastatic disease.

His theatre is now a referral centre for robotic-assisted cases, and he is currently one of the most active users of Mazor X in the UK.

Mr Grahovac said: “Use of Mazor X helps making most difficult operation easy and safe in all complex spinal applications”

Improving Outcomes Through Precision

Emerging evidence supports what surgeons are already seeing in theatre: robotic-assisted spine surgery improves accuracy, reduces intraoperative complications, and enhances long-term outcomes.

In Mr Grahovac’s practice, Mazor X has:

• Reduced operative time for multi-level fusions
• Decreased the need for fluoroscopy (lowering radiation exposure)
• Minimized blood loss through more focused, less invasive approaches
• Enabled intraoperative post-op imaging confirmation of implant accuracy and reducing chance of returning to theatre due to malpositioned screw

Mr Grahovac said: “Use of the enable technology for most complex spinal cases helps to make surgery safer, quicker, with less intraoperative complication with predictable outcomes for the patients and leading for quicker recovery and reducing the operative risk for the patients to virtually 0”

A New Standard for Complex Spine Care

While robotic systems like Mazor X are still relatively new in UK spine centres, they are quickly becoming the standard of care in leading institutions around the world.

And their role is only expected to grow.

Future versions will likely integrate AI-driven planning, augmented reality visualisation, and predictive analytics — using massive data sets to guide not only surgical technique, but even candidacy selection and long-term prognosis.

Mr Grahovac said: “Future of complex spine is looking extremely exciting with combination of enabling technology such is AI, augmented reality, predictive analysis and creates extremely powerful tool in treating patients with spinal problem”

Conclusion: Precision, Partnership, Progress

The Mazor X Stealth Edition doesn’t replace the surgeon’s judgment — it elevates it.

By combining clinical expertise with robotic precision, it represents a new model for spinal care: one that is safer, more accurate, and ultimately more human in its outcomes.

Mr Grahovac said: “I’m really excited to be able as early adopters to harness the power of enabling tech at this point of my career and to see integration of different enabling technologies such as robotics, AI, augmented reality, predictive analysis in one ecosystem to provide strong tool for management of the patients with complex spinal pathology” –  Mr Gordan Grahovac

Find out more about Mr Grahovac and contact here.