August 22, 2017 – JIM MCCONVILLE, Staff Writer, (Journal Photo by Ron Agnir)
MARTINSBURG — WVU Medicine Berkeley Medical Center added its first robot-neurosurgeon to its medical staff on Monday.
On Monday, BMC became the first medical center in West Virginia and the tri-state region to add the Mazor X, a robotic surgical platform, which will be used by its new Medicine Brain and Spine Center. 
BMC is the first medical center in West Virginia and within a 60-mile radius from the center to employ the surgical robot technology.
Delivered to BMC on Aug. 17, the Mazor robot performed its first patient surgery Monday afternoon.
“As spinal surgery has evolved, more focus has been placed on minimizing trauma to the body during surgery and expediting a return to function through the use of minimally invasive techniques,” said Dr. John Caruso, neurosurgeon and medical director of WVU Medicine Brain and Spine at Berkeley Medical Center.
Using the the Mazor robot software, doctors can plan a spine operation procedure. During the actual surgical procedure, doctors use the precision mechanics and surgical arm to guide surgical tools and implants at the right trajectory and position, based on that surgical plan.
For patients, minimally invasive surgical procedure means less pain, less blood loss, a smaller surgical cut, a shorter hospital stay, and a shorter recovery period compared to conventional spine surgery.