It's easier for surgeons experienced with minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusions to incorporate robotic technology into their practice than it is for early career attendings, according to a study published in the journal Spine.
The study authors examined the learning curve for robotic technology focused on minimally invasive TLIFs. One surgeon had four years in practice, another had three years and the third had 16 years in practice. The three surgeons used a floor-mounted robot and measured operative and fluoroscopy time, complications, screw revision and patient-reported outcome measures.
The surgeon with 16 years of experience operated on 122 patients; the surgeon with four years of experience operated on 45 patients and the surgeon with two years of experience operated on 20 patients with the robot.
The most experienced surgeon didn't show a discernible learning curve or difference in operative or fluoroscopy time between any of the patients. The least experienced surgeon reported cases 11 to 20 were around 26 minutes longer for average operative time, which study authors said suggested "an ongoing learning curve."
The surgeon with four years of experience had a learning curve of 21 cases and achieved "mastery" at 31 cases. The study authors concluded the learning curve didn't impact clinical outcomes.