KEYWORD

surgery

Dr. Nitin Bhatia (left) and Dr. Samuel Bederman use the SpineAssist robot to place spinal implants during a recent surgery.

Expanding the role of robots

Lourdes Medina had a common problem: relentless back pain and sciatica caused by a herniated disk and an unstable spine. The solution, however, was anything but common. At UC Irvine Medical Center, she underwent the first robot-assisted spinal surgery on the West Coast. Within a day of her March 15 operation, the 32-year-old Los Angeles woman was […]

UCI ophthalmologist on cutting edge of laser eye surgery

Dr. Roger Steinert has developed techniques that have helped improve the eyesight of millions.

Dr. Ralph Clayman

Patient advocate

Levity, gossip and idle chitchat have no place in Dr. Ralph Clayman’s operating room. The pioneer in minimally invasive surgery once asked a gabby colleague to leave in the middle of an operation because the chatterbox lacked focus. Clayman, a urologist so dedicated he gives his home phone number to patients, makes no apologies for […]