Robotics

Robotics-Assisted Spinal Surgery

A form of minimally invasive spine surgery, Robotic spine surgery utilizes a robotics system to assist and perfect surigcal intervention for patients experiencing chronic back pain unresponsive to non-surgical treatment. Designed to improve accuracy and optimize patient care, much like a GPS in your car. Many surgeons report several key surgical benefits for patients included but not limited to shorter hospital stays, less tissue damage, and smaller incisions (which may lead to smaller scars).

In a recent study presented at the Society of Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery Annual Forum, researchers compared the surgical outcomes for 403 robotic-guided spine surgeries with 224 fluoroscopic-guided procedures and 78 freehand procedures.

The complication rates for the techniques were:

• Robotic guidance: 4 percent

• Fluoroscopic guidance: 5.4 percent

• Freehand: 12.8 percent

How does Robotic-Assisted Spinal Surgery Work?

Utilized for years in other surgical subcatetories, robotic-assisted surgery synced with surgical navigation software ensure exact millimeter precision. Much like a a GPS (global positioning system), continuous surgical data displays and updates the surgeon on a digital screen in the operating room. The system continually tracks the patient’s anatomy, the robot and the surgical instruments in real time to ensure no differentiation of position, distance, or variable.