Mazor Robotics Gears Up to Attack American Market

Israeli company Mazor Robotics Inc., which makes the Renaissance robotic spine surgery system, has elected Christopher Prentice its new vice president of American and global marketing. Prentice will be charged with overseeing Mazor’s commercial and sales operations in the Americas while also continuing to oversee the company’s global marketing strategy. He will report directly to CEO Ori Hadomi and will be a member of the corporate senior executive team.

Prentice joined the company in 2010 and has spent the past 15 years in healthcare management with a focus on advancing new technologies in surgery. Prior to joining Mazor, he held leadership positions in marketing and sales at Ethicon Endo-Surgery, a Johnson & Johnson company; Intuitive Surgical; and served on the leadership team of Tampa General Hospital in Florida. Prentice graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, has an MBA from Western New England University, and an master’s in health administration from the University of South Florida.

“Chris has made a significant contribution to the success of Mazor and I believe that his new responsibilities will contribute to the growth and success of the company,”said Ori Hadomi.

Prentice take on this key role for Mazor’s American market soon after the first robot-guided sacroiliac (SI) joint fusion procedure in North America was performed. In June, Christopher R. Good, M.D., a spine specialist at the Virginia Spine Institute, completed the surgery at Reston Hospital Center with the assistance of the Renaissance system. Good’s team was also the first in the Mid-Atlantic region to perform any kind of robot-guided spine surgery.

With this inaugural case, the patient had been suffering with severe tenderness and pain radiating out over the SI joint on the right side. The patient failed extensive non-operative treatment and diagnostic intraarticular injections, which confirmed a clear source of pain in the SI joint.

The sacroiliac is a joint located at the base of the spine connecting the sacrum with the pelvis. Symptoms of sacroiliac dysfunction most commonly present as lower back pain, buttocks pain, and radiculopathy. Traditionally SI joint dysfunction can be treated with physical therapy, exercise, pain medications and/or injections. However, when these conservative methods fail surgical intervention is a viable option for the patient.

Good and the team of experts at the Virginia Spine Institute were also the first in the Mid-Atlantic region to perform any kind of robot-guided spine surgery. His report (pdf) on the subject appeared in the Spring 2013 issue of the Journal of The Spinal Research Foundation.

“Robot-assisted surgery represents a major technological breakthrough for patients,” said Good. “My experience with robotic surgery began seven years ago and it is very exciting to see the progress that has been made. Robot-assisted surgery helps make surgery safer and I am very excited to apply this technology to patients suffering with sacroiliitis.”