Spine robots and 3D-navigated technology have been popular among surgeons for pedicle screw placement, but precision can vary between the two across spinal levels, according to a study in the October issue of The Spine Journal.
Five notes:
1. Researchers did a retrospective review of patients having spinal fusion surgery with pedicle screw placement in the prone position with either 3D image navigation only or robotic arm guidance.
2. Accuracy of screw placement in both groups were compared with the Chi-squared test/Fisher's exact test and with effect size measured by Cramer's V, both overall and at specific levels.
3. A total 321 patients were included and 1,210 total screw placements were evaluated.The robotic arm group showed significantly higher overall accuracy (98.6%) compared to navigation only (93.9%).
4. Screw placement accuracy wasn't significant between the groups at the S1 level.
5. The study concluded: This study highlights the enhanced accuracy of robotic arm-guided systems compared to 3D navigation for pedicle screw placement in lumbar fusion surgeries, especially at the L3, L4, and L5 levels. However, at the S1 level, both systems exhibit similar effectiveness, underscoring the importance of understanding each system's specific advantages for optimization of surgical complications.