Aspirus | Aspire | Fall 2018

CHRONIC PAIN can take away the joys of life. Some have to give up their favorite sport. Some struggle to complete household tasks that had been simple. For Paula Lehmkul, it was the pleasure of working in her garden and playing with her grandchildren. Lehmkul’s leg pain reached its worst point after she fell down a flight of stairs. She tried physical therapy, but ultimately she had to seek out another treatment. She turned to Aspirus Wausau Hospital, which had just implemented new technology that offered Lehmkul some hope. Turninghope intoreality On April 2, Lehmkul underwent a procedure using technology never before used in Wisconsin. Andrew Beaumont, MD, PhD, a neurosurgeon with Aspirus Spine & Neurosciences, used the new equipment to perform a lumbar spinal fusion on Lehmkul. “I think this technology is a revolution,” Andrew Beaumont, MD, PhD SICKOFSPINEPAIN? For more information on spine and neurosciences services at Aspirus, go online to aspirus.org or call the Aspirus Customer Contact Center at 800.847.4707 . Dr. Beaumont said. “It is so nice to have this quality. It’s like going from a black-and-white TV to an HD TV. It gives me so much more confidence.” Within three months of Lehmkul’s procedure, she was already seeing great progress. “The doctors told me my bone healing looked like I was at six months versus three months,” she said. “I noticed a difference immediately after my procedure. Today, the pain in my legs is totally gone.” About thetechnology The BrainLab AIRO mobile CT scanner allows clinicians to create 3D images of a patient using a portable CT scanner and helps surgeons operate on a patient with more accuracy. The scanner is brought directly into a surgical room prior to surgery, where it is New mobile CT system is improving surgery USING TECHNOLOGY TO RESTORE QUALITY OF LIFE 6 aspire Fall 2018