New Tech, New You: Dr. Hugh Bassewitz’s First Robot-Assisted Surgery Patient Weighs In

“The surgery was, in a word, miraculous,” says Dr. Amanda Budde-Sung of The University of Sydney. “My recovery was incredibly fast. It's been six months, and I'm back to many of my previous activities. I'm about to walk a 17-mile race in Sydney.”

After having severe pain and limited mobility due to lower spine problems, Amanda’s ‘miracle’ came through Dr. Hugh Bassewitz. Right here in Las Vegas, Dr. Bassewitz provides the most advanced surgical spine care available.

“I am usually a runner, and I practice yoga, and I was no longer able to run at all; walking was difficult, and yoga was excruciating,” explains Amanda. To alleviate her symptoms, she had tried everything, including physical therapy, massage therapy, chiropractors, and osteopathic medicine. All of which, she says, did not work for her.

“I went to Dr. Bassewitz in desperation, and he was highly recommended by other physicians in the Las Vegas area,” says Amanda. “Dr. Bassewitz was able to diagnose my problem in our first meeting. An MRI came next, which gave him more information and revealed more problems. He let me know that surgery was the only option, so we scheduled it as soon as possible.” 

Dr. Bassewitz moved forward with a precise, personalized surgical plan using CT technology and robot-assisted surgery. With his additional training in the advanced robotic and navigation system he was using at Desert Springs Hospital, he was confident the results would be very favorable. 

“My recovery was incredibly fast. I must have looked okay, and healthy, when I checked out of the hospital, because a member of the hospital staff came into my room with a clipboard, looked around, and asked me if the patient had left yet,” exclaims Amanda. “She seemed most surprised when I told her that I was the patient, and yes, I was being discharged that day!” 

Within one week of her surgery, Amanda was walking without a walker. Within two months of her surgery, she was back up to walking 20 – 30 miles per week. At three months, she was walking 30 miles per week. Amanda is now walking over 40 miles per week. She notes, “To put that into comparison, two months before my surgery, I had to take a break and try to stretch out the pain when walking three blocks.”

Today, Dr. Bassewitz has performed over a dozen robot-assisted minimally invasive spine procedures. He currently offers lumbar (lower back) spine fusions for various conditions using this technology.

“Our first robotic lumbar fusion patient, Amanda, did fantastically. She was a perfect case for this procedure,” says Dr. Bassewitz. “We’re seeing really good results, and we’re performing this more often because our patients are doing so well.”

With this technology, Dr. Bassewitz is able to offer lumbar fusions that use significantly less radiation than other minimally invasive spine fusions. He notes that “We can do this with the latest in technology, we can decrease our radiation, we can increase our accuracy, and we can do this with smaller incisions.”

The trends Dr. Bassewitz is seeing for his patients are excellent. “We’re seeing a day earlier discharge from the hospital,” he says. “And, we’re seeing a return to activities about a week or two earlier.”

If you’re interested in learning more about the advanced care Dr. Bassewitz provides, please call (702) 731-4088 or request an appointment online.