Comparative study of orthopaedic robot-assisted minimally invasive surgery and open surgery for limb osteoid osteoma / 中国修复重建外科杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To compare the accuracy and effectiveness of orthopaedic robot-assisted minimally invasive surgery versus open surgery for limb osteoid osteoma.@*METHODS@#A clinical data of 36 patients with limb osteoid osteomas admitted between June 2016 and June 2023 was retrospectively analyzed. Among them, 16 patients underwent orthopaedic robot-assisted minimally invasive surgery (robot-assisted surgery group), and 20 patients underwent tumor resection after lotcated by C-arm X-ray fluoroscopy (open surgery group). There was no significant difference between the two groups in the gender, age, lesion site, tumor nidus diameter, and preoperative pain visual analogue scale (VAS) scores ( P>0.05). The operation time, lesion resection time, intraoperative blood loss, intraoperative fluoroscopy frequency, lesion resection accuracy, and postoperative analgesic use frequency were recorded and compared between the two groups. The VAS scores for pain severity were compared preoperatively and at 3 days and 3 months postoperatively.@*RESULTS@#Compared with the open surgery group, the robot-assisted surgery group had a longer operation time, less intraoperative blood loss, less fluoroscopy frequency, less postoperative analgesic use frequency, and higher lesion resection accuracy ( P<0.05). There was no significant difference in lesion resection time ( P>0.05). All patients were followed up after surgery, with a follow-up period of 3-24 months (median, 12 months) in the two groups. No postoperative complication such as wound infection or fracture occurred in either group during follow-up. No tumor recurrence was observed during follow-up. The VAS scores significantly improved in both groups at 3 days and 3 months after surgery when compared with preoperative value ( P<0.05). The VAS score at 3 days after surgery was significantly lower in robot-assisted surgery group than that in open surgery group ( P<0.05). However, there was no significant difference in VAS scores at 3 months between the two groups ( P>0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#Compared with open surgery, robot-assisted resection of limb osteoid osteomas has longer operation time, but the accuracy of lesion resection improve, intraoperative blood loss reduce, and early postoperative pain is lighter. It has the advantages of precision and minimally invasive surgery.

Feasibility analysis of puncture robot technology for the application of acupuncture robot / 中国针灸

The difficulties such as how to accurately locate acupoints and safely insert needles are presented in acupuncture robot. The puncture robot with high technological similarity to acupuncture robot is getting mature, and a large number of human trials and animal experiments have been conducted for the development of puncture robot. Through comparing the similarities and differences between puncture robot and acupuncture robot in the aspects of through-skin puncture, needle insertion and needle removal, the valuable technology of puncture robot is analyzed for the development of acupuncture robot, and the crucial direction of technology migration is determined. ①Integrating the mechanical feedback and medical imaging technology and utilizing the multi-modal perception to achieve the safety of acupuncture operation. ②Emphasizing the integration of the existing designs of chest puncture robot to realize the acupuncture operation with inhalation and exhalation involved. ③Focusing on the development of relevant technology of automatic needle removal through conducting the actual scenario of treatment with acupuncture robot in patients under non-anaesthetic condition.

Clinical effects of robot-assisted esophageal hiatal hernia repair and laparoscopic esophageal hiatal hernia repair: a retrospective comparative study / 中华外科杂志

Objective: To analyze the short-term clinical effects of robot-assisted and laparoscopic repair of the hiatal hernia. Methods: The clinical data of 56 patients underwent minimally invasive hiatal hernia repair from January 2021 to January 2022 in the Department of Minimally Invasive Surgery, Hernias and Abdominal Wall Surgery, People's Hospital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region were retrospectively analyzed. There were 32 males and 24 females, aging (59.7±10.7) years (range: 28 to 75 years). All patients were divided into laparoscopy group (n=27) and robot group (n=29) according to surgical procedures. Perioperative conditions, hospital stay, and improvement in symptoms before and after surgery were compared between the two groups by the t test, Wilcoxon rank-sum test and χ2 test. Results: All surgical procedures were successfully completed, without conversion to laparotomy or change in operation mode. There were no serious complications related to the operation. The intraoperative blood loss of the robot group was less than that of the laparoscopic group (M (IQR)): (20 (110) ml vs. 40 (80) ml, Z=-4.098, P<0.01). The operation time ((111.7±33.6) minutes vs. (120.4±35.0) minutes, t=-0.943, P=0.350) and hospitalization time ((3.9±1.4) days vs. (4.7±1.9) days, t=-1.980, P=0.053) of the robot group and the laparoscopic group were similar. Follow-up for 12 months after the operation showed no postoperative complications and recurrence. The score of the health-related quality of life questionnaire for gastroesophageal reflux disease in the robot group decreased from 10.8±2.8 before the operation to 6.5±0.6 after the operation, and that in the laparoscopic group decreased from 10.6±2.1 before the operation to 6.3±0.6 after the operation. There was no difference in the influence of different surgical methods on the change in score (t=0.030,P=0.976). Conclusion: Compared with laparoscopic repair of the hiatal hernia, robot-assisted hiatal hernia repair has the advantages of less bleeding, rapid postoperative recovery and good short-term effect.

Clinical study on application of 3D Slicer software assisted domestic frameless stereotactic robot in biopsy of intracranial lesions / 中华外科杂志

Objective: To examine the application value of 3D Slicer software assisted domestic frameless stereotactic robot in biopsy of intracranial lesions. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on 80 patients who admitted consecutively and underwent intracerebral lesions biopsy with the domestic frameless stereotactic robot at Department of Neurosurgery, Aerospace Central Hospital from January 2019 to December 2021. There were 36 males and 44 females, with a mean age of (38.5±18.0) years (range: 6 to 71 years). Before surgery only enhanced T1-weighted three-dimensional magnetization prepared gradient echo sequences and diffusion tensor imaging scans were performed. Self-reconstruction of intracranial lesions, cerebral cortex and blood vessels was carried out using 3D Slicer software system after the DICOM format imaging data of 80 patients were collected. These imaging data were merged to the workstation of the domestic frameless stereotactic robot for preoperative surgical planning and the surgical puncture path was designed to avoid blood vessels in the brain functional area, cerebral cortex and sulcus. Results: All frameless stereotactic biopsy were successfully performed. Postoperative pathological diagnosis included 50 cases of diffuse astrocytic and oligodendroglioma, 15 cases of lymphoma, 5 cases of metastatic tumors, 5 cases of inflammatory demyelinating disease, 2 cases of inflammatory granuloma, 1 case of hemangioma, 1 case of acute lymphoblastic leukemia intracranial invasion and 1 case of seminoma. The positive diagnosis rate was 100% (80/80). Postoperative imaging confirmed that the puncture path and target were accurately implemented according to the preoperative planning, and the target error was (1.32±0.44) mm (range: 0.55 to 1.99 mm). One case of puncture-related bleeding occurred at the target after surgery and improved after treatment. Conclusion: The three-dimensional multimodal images reconstructed by the 3D Slicer software before operation could help the surgeons make the preoperative planning and reduce the risk of stereotactic brain biopsy.

Simulation design and experimental study of magnetic stimulation coil for robot pigeon / 生物医学工程学杂志

To explore the feasibility of applying magnetic stimulation technology to the movement control of animal robots, the influence of coil radius, number of turns and other factors on the intensity, depth and focus of magnetic stimulation was simulated and analyzed for robot pigeons. The coil design scheme was proposed. The coil was placed on the head and one of the legs of the pigeon, and the leg electromyography (EMG) was recorded when magnetic stimulation was performed. Results showed that the EMG was significantly strengthened during magnetic stimulation. With the reduction of the output frequency of the magnetic stimulation system, the output current was increased and the EMG was enhanced accordingly. Compared with the brain magnetic stimulation, sciatic nerve stimulation produced a more significant EMG enhancement response. This indicated that the magnetic stimulation system could effectively modulate the functions of brain and peripheral nerves by driving the coil. This study provides theoretical and experimental guidance for the subsequent optimization and improvement of practical coils, and lays a preliminary theoretical and experimental foundation for the implementation of magnetic stimulation motion control of animal robots.

Early clinical application of Mako robot-assisted total knee arthroplasty in knee osteoarthritis / 中国骨伤

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the early efficacy of Mako robot-assisted total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis (KOA) and summarize the initial application experience.@*METHODS@#Retrospective analysis of 73 patients with KOA treated with Mako robot-assisted TKA from June 2021 to December 2021. There were 16 males and 57 females, aged from 54 to 81 years old with an average of (67.8±6.6) years old. The hip knee and ankle angle (HKA), lateral distal femoral angle (LDFA), medial proximal tibial angle (MPTA), lateral femoral component angle (LFCA) and lateral tibial component angle (LTCA) were recorded and analyzed. WOMAC score and KSS were used to compare the functional recovery of patients preoperatively, 3 and 6 months postoperatively.@*RESULTS@#All the 73 patients were successfully treated without serious complications such as vascular and nerve injury, and all the incisions healed well at stageⅠwithout infection. The patients were followed up from 4 to 11 months with an average of (7.0±2.7) months, and the satisfaction rate of the last follow-up was 90.41% (66/73). WOMAC scores were (23.1±5.4) at 3 months and (14.8±4.1) at 6 months postoperatively. KSS clinical scores were ( 76.1±4.0) at 3 months and (82.1±3.7) at 6 months postoperatively;KSS functional scores were (74.3±3.1) at 3 months and (78.6±2.1) at 6 months after operation. Postoperative imaging showed good position of the prosthesis, HKA angle was (178.5±2.1)°, LDFA was (91.2±1.8)°, MPTA was(89.9±1.5) °, LFCA was (7.6±3.1)°, LTCA was (88.2±1.1)°. The mechanical axis within ±3° in sixty cases(82.2%), and the mechanical axis within ±6° in all the patients.@*CONCLUSION@#Mako robot-assisted TKA is a safe and effective surgery in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis, which exhibited good efficacy in the correction of lower limb alignment, soft tissue balance and improvement of knee function. The long-term efficacy needs further follow-up observation.

Comparison of curative effect between Tianji robot assisted screw placement and traditional cannulated screw internal fixation for femoral neck fracture / 中国骨伤

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the clinical efficacy and advantages of Tianji orthopedic robot assisted cannulated screw internal fixation for femoral neck fracture.@*METHODS@#The clinical data of 41 patients with femoral neck fracture who underwent internal fixation with cannulated screws from January 2019 to January 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. According to different surgical methods, they were divided into Tianji robot group and traditional cannulated screw fixation group (traditional operation group). Among them, there were 18 patients in Tianji robot group including 8 males and 10 females with age of (56.00±4.22) years old, Garden typeⅠ (4 cases), type Ⅱ (11 cases), type Ⅲ (2 cases), and type Ⅳ (1 case). There were 23 patients in the traditional operation group, including 10 males and 13 females, aged (54.87±4.81) years old;there were 5 cases of Garden typeⅠ, 14 cases of type Ⅱ, 3 cases of type Ⅲ and 1 case of type Ⅳ. The operation time, intraoperative blood loss, fluoroscopy times, guide needle placement times, operation costs and other indicators were observed and compared between two groups. Harris score was used to evaluate hip joint function 12 months after operation.@*RESULTS@#The wounds of all patients healed in Grade A without complications. There were significant differences between two groups in terms of operation time, times of intraoperative fluoroscopy, times of guide needle placement, amount of intraoperative bleeding, and operation cost (P<0.05). All 41 patients were followed up for at least 12 months. The fractures of both groups were healed. There was no infection, screw loosening, fracture displacement and femoral head necrosis in Tianji robot group during follow-up;Screw loosening occurred in 2 patients in the traditional operation group during follow-up. At 12 months after operation, Harris hip joint function score of Tianji robot group was higher than that of traditional operation group in daily activity, lameness, joint activity score and total score (P<0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#Tianji robot assisted nail placement is a better method for the treatment of femoral neck fracture, which improves the surgical efficiency, is more accurate, has higher success rate of one-time nail placement, shorter operation time, less radiation, and has better hip joint function recovery after surgery.

Study on the correlation between early three-dimensional gait analysis and clinical efficacy after robot-assisted total knee arthroplasty / 中华创伤杂志(英文版)

PURPOSE@#Robot-assisted technology is a forefront of surgical innovation that improves the accuracy of total knee arthroplasty (TKA). But whether the accuracy of surgery can improve the clinical efficacy still needs further research. The purpose of this study is to perform three-dimensional (3D) analysis in the early postoperative period of patients who received robot-assisted total knee arthroplasty (RATKA), and to study the trend of changes in gait parameters after RATKA and the correlation with the early clinical efficacy.@*METHODS@#Patients who received RATKA in the Center of Joint Surgery, the First Hospital Affiliated to Army Military Medical University from October 2020 to January 2021 were included. The imaging parameters, i.e., hip-knee-ankle angle, lateral distal femoral angle, medial proximal tibial angle, posterior condylar angle were measured 3 months post-TKA. The 3D gait analysis and clinical efficacy by Western Ontario Mac Master University Index (WOMAC) score were performed pre-TKA, 3 and 6 months post-TKA. The differences in spatiotemporal parameters of gait, kinetic parameters, and kinematic parameters of the operated limb and the contralateral limb were compared. The correlation between gait parameters and WOMAC scores was analyzed. Paired sample t-test and Wilcoxon rank-sum test were used to analyze the difference between groups, and Spearman correlation coefficient was used to analyze the correlation.@*RESULTS@#There were 31 patients included in this study, and the imaging indexes showed that all of them returned to normal post-TKA. The WOMAC score at 3 months post-TKA was significantly lower than that pre-TKA, and there was no significant difference between at 3 and 6 months. The 3D gait analysis results showed that the double support time of the operated limb reduced at 3 and 6 months (all p < 0.05), the maximum extension and maximum external rotation of the knee joint increased at stance phase, and the maximum flexion angle, the range of motion and the maximum external rotation increased at swing phase. Compared with the preoperative data, there were significant improvements (all p < 0.05). Compared with the contralateral knee joint, the maximum external rotation of the knee joint at swing phase was smaller than that of the contralateral side, and the maximum flexion and extension moment was greater than that of the contralateral knee. The maximum external rotation moment of the joint was greater than that of the contralateral knee joint (p < 0.05). There was a negative correlation between the single support time pre-TKA and the WOMAC score at 3 months (p = 0.017), and the single support time at 3 months was negatively correlated with the WOMAC score at 6 months (p = 0.043). The cadence at 6 months was negatively correlated with the WOMAC score at 6 months (p = 0.031). The maximum knee extension at stance phase at 6 months was negatively correlated with the WOMAC score at 6 month (p = 0.048). The maximum external rotation at stance phase at 6 months was negatively correlated with the WOMAC score at 6 months (p = 0.024).@*CONCLUSION@#The 3D gait analysis of RATKA patients is more sensitive than WOMAC score in evaluating the clinical efficacy. Trend of changes in gait parameters shows that the knee joint support, flexion and extension function, range of motion, external rotation and varus deformity moment of the patient were significantly improved at 3 months after surgery, and continued to 6 months after surgery. Compared with the contralateral knee, the gait parameters of the operated limb still has significant gaps in functionality, such as the external rotation and flexion and extension. The single support time, cadence, knee extension, and knee external rotation of the operated limb have a greater correlation with the postoperative WOMAC score. Postoperative rehabilitation exercises should be emphasized, which is of great value for improving the early efficacy of RATKA.

Development of Surgical Robots in Recent Years / 中国医疗器械杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To study the development of surgical robots at home and abroad in recent years.@*METHODS@#Through a large number of literature review and analysis, the qualification approval and technical function characteristics of domestic and foreign surgical robots from January 2019 to July 2022 were analyzed.@*RESULTS@#The related situations of 39 surgical robots were analyzed and reported, and the shortcomings and future development direction of the current surgical robots were summarized.@*CONCLUSIONS@#The development of surgical robots in China is now in a rapid development stage. At present, surgical robots generally have the disadvantages of high cost, lack of tactile feedback (force feedback), large size, large space occupation and difficult to move. In the future, it will develop towards intelligent, miniaturized, remote, open and low-cost.

Research on the Application of Electromagnetic Navigation Technology in Surgical Robots / 中国医疗器械杂志

Due to the need to achieve precise operations during surgery, in order to prevent hand tremors and poor surgical field of view, more and more surgical robots are used in surgical operations combined with navigation technology to meet the requirements for surgical accuracy. Open surgery such as orthopaedics, joint replacement and neurosurgery on the market generally use optical navigation systems to guide robots to achieve precise positioning, but optical navigation systems cannot be used for operations in areas with small surgical space. Therefore, a robotic surgical system based on electromagnetic navigation technology that can be applied to the craniofacial area was proposed. By using this robot, the problems of difficult operation and low precision caused by the narrow craniofacial space can be solved. Key techniques and considerations are studied. The function of the developed prototype is verified through model tests. The test results show that the surgical robot under the electromagnetic navigation technology can achieve precise surgical operations improve the success rate of the doctor's surgery and reduce postoperative complications.

Overview of the Development of Spatial Positioning Accuracy Testing Technology for Surgical Robots / 中国医疗器械杂志

Characteristics of two major categories of RA equipment which defined in the standard are interpreted firstly. Few representative RA equipment in current market and their key product features are introduced. Then, classifications of different indexes of spatial positioning accuracy are declared, the difficulties of performing testing process on each indexes are further explained. Meanwhile, different kinds of three dimensional coordinate measuring equipment that are cutting edge at present stage are introduced with their main methods of use explained. According to characteristics of three dimensional coordinate measuring equipment on the market, proper measuring equipment for testing certain index of spatial positioning accuracy and corresponding experiment method are introduced.

Basic performance of domestic surgical robot and the safety and effectiveness of integrated energy equipment / 中南大学学报(医学版)

OBJECTIVES@#Surgical robot system has broken the limitation of traditional surgery and shown excellent performance in surgery, and has been widely used in minimally invasive treatment in most areas of surgery. This study aims to verify the basic performance of the domestic surgical robot system and the safety and effectiveness of the integrated bipolar electrocoagulation and ultrasonic knife.@*METHODS@#The basic performance of the domestic surgical robot system was evaluated by completing the square knot and surgical knot, vertical and horizontal perforation and right ring perforation and suture, as well as picking up beans. Compared with laparoscopy, the safety and effectiveness of the domestic surgical robot after integrated interconnection bipolar electrocoagulation and ultrasonic scalpel were evaluated by detecting the vascular closure performance and the degree of histopathological damage in animals.@*RESULTS@#Compared with freehand knotting, domestic robot knotting speed and circumference were slightly worse, but better than laparoscopic knotting. There was no statistical significance in the tension difference of the surgical knots among the 3 methods (P>0.05), but the tension of the square knots made by the freehand and the domestic surgical robot was greater than that of the laparoscopy (P<0.05). The space required for both the left and right forceps heads of knots was smaller than that of laparoscopy (P<0.001), which successfully completed the 4 quadrant suture tasks, and the time of picking up beans was significantly less than that of laparoscopy (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the temperature of the liver tissue after the bipolar electrocoagulation between the interconnected domestic surgical robot and the laparoscopy (P>0.05), and the acute thermal injury was observed under the light microscope. The temperature of the liver tissue treated by the domestic robotic ultrasound knife was higher than that of the laparoscopic ultrasound knife (P<0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#Domestic surgical robots are obviously superior to laparoscopy in suturing, knotting, and moving objects, and domestic surgical robots' interconnect bipolar electrocoagulation and ultrasonic knife have achieved success in animal experiments, and hemostasis is considered to be safe and effective.

Development of a flexible embedded neurostimulator for animal robots / 生物医学工程学杂志

The neural stimulator is a core component of animal robots. While the control effect of animal robots is influenced by various factors, the performance of the neural stimulator plays a decisive role in regulating animal robots. In order to optimize animal robots, embedded neural stimulators had been developed using flexible printed circuit board technology. This innovation not only enabled the stimulator to generate parameter-adjustable biphasic current pulses through control signals, but also optimized its carrying mode, material, and size, overcoming the disadvantages of traditional backpack or head-inserted stimulators, which have poor concealment and are prone to infection. Static, in vitro, and in vivo performance tests of the stimulator demonstrated that it not only had precise pulse waveform output capability, but also was lightweight and small in size. It had excellent in vivo performance in both laboratory and outdoor environments. Our study has high practical significance for the application of animal robots.

A comparative study of short-term effectiveness of "SkyWalker" robot-assisted versus traditional total knee arthroplasty / 中国修复重建外科杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To compare the short-term effectiveness of "SkyWalker" robot-assisted total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and traditional TKA.@*METHODS@#A clinical data of 54 patients (54 knees) with TKA who met the selection criteria between January 2022 and March 2022 was retrospectively analyzed. Among them, 27 cases underwent traditional TKA (traditional operation group) and 27 cases underwent "SkyWalker" robot-assisted TKA (robot-assisted operation group). There was no significant difference between the two groups ( P>0.05) in terms of gender, age, body mass index, osteoarthritis side, disease duration, and preoperative Knee Society Score (KSS), Western Ontario and McMaster University Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), visual analogue scale (VAS) score, hip-knee-ankle angle (HKA), lateral distal femoral angle (LDFA), medial proximal tibial angle (MPTA), and posterior proximal tibial angle (PPTA). The operative time, intraoperative bleeding volume, surgery-related complications, the KSS, WOMAC, and VAS scores before operation and at 6 months after operation, and Forgotten Joint Score (FJS) at 6 months after operation were recorded. X-ray films were taken to review the prosthesis position and measure HKA, LDFA, MPTA, and PPTA. The differences of the clinical and imaging indicators between before and after operation were calculated and statistically analyzed.@*RESULTS@#The operations were completed successfully in both groups. There was no significant difference in the operative time and intraoperative bleeding volume between the two groups ( P>0.05). After operation, 1 case of incision nonunion and 1 case of heart failure occurred in the traditional operation group, while no surgery-related complications occurred in the robotic-assisted operation group. The incidences of surgical complications were 7.4% (2/27) in the traditional operation group and 0 (0/27) in the robotic-assisted operation group, with no significant difference ( P=0.491). Patients in both groups were followed up 6 months. KSS score, WOMAC score, VAS score, and ROM significantly improved in both groups at 6 months after operation when compared with preoperative ones ( P<0.05). There was no significant difference between the two groups ( P>0.05) in the differences between the pre- and post-operative values of the clinical indicators and FJS scores at 6 months after operation. X-ray films showed that the lower extremity force lines of the patients improved and the knee prostheses were in good position. Except for LDFA in the robot-assisted operation group, HKA, LDFA, MPTA, and PPTA significantly improved in both groups at 6 months after operation when compared with the preoperative ones ( P<0.05). There was no significant difference between the two groups in the differences between the pre- and post-operative values of the radiological indicators ( P>0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#The "SkyWalker" robot-assisted TKA is one of the effective methods for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis and had good short-term effectiveness. But the long-term effectiveness needs to be further studied.

Treatment of stage Ⅱ-Ⅲ Kümmell disease with robot-assisted bone cement-augmented pedicle screw fixation / 中国骨伤

OBJECTIVE@#To evaluate the early clinical efficacy of robot-assisted percutaneous short-segment bone cement-augmented pedicle screw fixation in the treatment of stageⅡ-Ⅲ Kümmell disease.@*METHODS@#The clinical data of 20 patients with stageⅡ-Ⅲ Kümmell's disease who underwent robot-assisted percutaneous bone cement-augmented pedicle screw fixation between June 2017 and January 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 4 males and 16 females, aged from 60 to 81 years old with an average age of (69.1±8.3) years. There were 9 cases of stageⅡand 11 cases of stage Ⅲ, all of which were single vertebral lesions, including 3 cases of T11, 5 cases of T12, 8 cases of L1, 3 cases of L2, and 1 case of L3. These patients did not exhibit symptoms of spinal cord injury. The operation time, intraoperative blood loss, and complications were recorded. The position of pedicle screws and the filling and leakage of bone cement in gaps were observed using postoperative CT 2D reconstruction. The data of the visual analogue scale (VAS), Oswestry disability index (ODI), kyphosis Cobb angle, wedge angle of the diseased vertebra, and anterior and posterior vertebral height on lateral radiographs were statistically analyzed preoperatively, 1 week postoperatively, and at the final follow-up.@*RESULTS@#Twenty patients were followed up for 10 to 26 months, with an average follow-up of (16.0±5.1) months. All operations were successfully completed. The surgical duration ranged from 98 to 160 minutes, with an average of (122±24) minutes. The intraoperative blood loss ranged from 25 to 95 ml, with an average of (45±20) ml. There were no intraoperative vascular nerve injuries. A total of 120 screws were inserted in this group, including 111 screws at grade A and 9 screws at grade B according to the Gertzbein and Robbins scales. Postoperative CT indicated that the bone cement was well-filled in the diseased vertebra, and cement leakage occurred in 4 cases. Preoperative VAS and ODI were (6.05±0.18) points and (71.10±5.37)%, respectively, (2.05±0.14) points and (18.57±2.77)% at 1 week after operation, and (1.35±0.11) points and (15.71±2.12) % at final follow-up. There were significant differences between postoperative 1 week and preoperative, and between final follow-up and postoperative 1 week(P<0.01). Anterior and posterior vertebral height, kyphosis Cobb angle, and wedge angle of the diseased vertebra were(45.07±1.06)%, (82.02±2.11)%, (19.49±0.77) °, and (17.56±0.94) ° preoperatively, respectively, (77.00±0.99)%, (83.04±2.02)%, (7.34±0.56) °, and (6.15±0.52) ° at 1 week postoperatively, and (75.13±0.86)%, (82.39±0.45)%, (8.38±0.63) °, and (7.09±0.59) ° at the final follow-up.@*CONCLUSION@#Robot-assisted percutaneous short-segment bone cement-augmented pedicle screw fixation demonstrates satisfactory short-term efficacy in treating stageⅡ-Ⅲ Kümmell's disease as an effective minimally invasive alternative. However, longer operation times and strict patient selection criteria are necessary, and long-term follow-up is required to determine its lasting effectiveness.

Robot-assisted PVP for the treatment of osteoporotic fractures of the upper thoracic vertebra / 中国骨伤

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the clinical effect of "Tianji" orthopedic robot-assisted percutaneous vertebro plasty(PVP) surgery in the treatment of upper thoracic osteoporotic fracture.@*METHODS@#A retrospective analysis was performed on 32 patients with upper thoracic osteoporotic fracture who underwent PVP surgery in Shenzhen Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine from August 2016 to June 2022. There were 8 males and 24 females, ranging in age from 58 to 90 years old, with a mean of (67.75±12.27) years old. Fifteen patients were treated with robot-assisted PVP surgery (robot group), including 3 males and 12 females, with an average age of (68.5±10.3) years. Fracture location:1 case of T2 fracture, 1 case of T3 fracture, 3 cases of T4 fracture, 3 cases of T5 fracture, and 7 cases of T6 fracture. The follow-up period ranged from 1.0 to 3.0 months, with a mean of (1.6±0.7) months. Seventeen patients underwent routine PVP surgery (conventional group), including 5 males and 12 females, with an average age of (66.8±11.6) years old. Fracture location:1 case of T1 fracture, 5 cases of T4 fracture, 2 cases of T5 fracture and 9 cases of T6 fracture. The follow-up period ranged from 0.5 to 4.0 months, with a mean of (1.5±0.6) months. Preoperative and postoperative visual analogue scale(VAS) and Oswestry disability index(ODI) scores were compared between the two groups, and the number of punctures, perspective times, operation time, intraoperative blood loss, bone cement distribution, bone cement leakage, and intraoperative radiation dose were compared between the two groups.@*RESULTS@#Number of punctures times, perspective times, operation time, intraoperative blood loss, bone cement distribution, bone cement leakage and intraoperative radiation dose in the robot group were all significantly better than those in the conventional group(P<0.05). VAS of 2.03±0.05 and ODI of (22.16±4.03) % in the robot group were significantly better than those of the robot group before surgery, which were (8.67±0.25) score and (79.40±7.72)%(t=100.869, P<0.001;t=25.456, P<0.001). VAS of 2.17±0.13 and ODI of (23.88±6.15)% in the conventional group were significantly better than those before surgery, which were (8.73±0.18) score and (80.01±7.59)%(t=121.816, P<0.001;t=23.691, P<0.001). There was no significant difference in VAS and ODI between the two groups after operation (t=-3.917, P=0.476;t=-0.922, P=0.364).@*CONCLUSION@#Robot-assisted PVP in the treatment of upper thoracic osteoporotic fractures can further improve surgical safety, reduce bone cement leakage, and achieve satisfactory clinical efficacy.

Research progress of functional alignment robot assisted knee replacement / 中国骨伤

The correct alignment of the knee joint is considered to be one of the most influential factors in determining the long-term prognosis after total knee arthroplasty(TKA). In order to achieve the correct alignment goal, many different alignment concepts and surgical techniques have been established. For example, mechanical alignment(MA), kinematic alignment(KA) and functional alignment(FA) have their own characteristics. MA focuses on achieving neutral alignment of the limbs, parallel and equal bone gaps during stretching and flexion. KA aims to restore the patient 's natural joint line, make the joint level and angle normal and improve the physiological soft tissue balance, and strive to reproduce the normal knee function;among them, functional alignment(FA) developed with robot-assisted surgery technology is a relatively new alignment concept. It not only considers the alignment of the body, but also aims to achieve flexion and extension balance, while respecting the native soft tissue capsule. It not only restores the plane and slope of the in situ joint line accurately during the operation, but also takes into account the balance of soft tissue, which is a better alignment method. Therefore, it is of great significance to correctly construct the lower limb force line of patients, which is helpful to restore knee joint function, relieve pain symptoms and prolong the service life of prosthesi. However, compared with traditional TKA, the operation time of robot-assisted FA-TKA is prolonged, which means that the probability of postoperative infection will be greater. At present, most studies of FA technology report short-term results, and the long-term efficacy of patients is not clear. Therefore, long-term research results are needed to support the application of this technology. Therefore, the author makes a review on the research status of functional alignment.

Network meta-analysis comparing the clinical outcomes and safety of robotic, laparoscopic, and transanal total rectal mesenteric resection for rectal cancer / 中华胃肠外科杂志

Objective: To methodically assess the clinical effectiveness and safety of robot-assisted total rectal mesenteric resection (RTME), laparoscopic-assisted total rectal mesenteric resection (laTME), and transanal total rectal mesenteric resection (taTME). Methods: A computer search was conducted on PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Ovid databases to identify English-language reports published between January 2017 and January 2022 that compared the clinical efficacy of the three surgical procedures of RTME, laTME, and taTME. The quality of the studies was evaluated using the NOS and JADAD scales for retrospective cohort studies and randomized controlled trials, respectively. Direct meta-analysis and reticulated meta-analysis were performed using Review Manager software and R software, respectively. Results: Twenty-nine publications comprising 8,339 patients with rectal cancer were ultimately included. The direct meta-analysis indicated that the length of hospital stay was longer after RTME than after taTME, whereas according to the reticulated meta-analysis the length of hospital stay was shorter after taTME than after laTME (MD=-0.86, 95%CI: -1.70 to -0.096, P=0.036). Moreover, the incidence of anastomotic leak was lower after taTME than after RTME (OR=0.60, 95%CI: 0.39 to 0.91, P=0.018). The incidence of intestinal obstruction was also lower after taTME than after RTME (OR=0.55, 95%CI: 0.31 to 0.94, P=0.037). All of these differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). There were no statistically significant differences between the three surgical procedures regarding the number of lymph nodes cleared, length of the inferior rectal margin, or rate of positive circumferential margins (all P>0.05). An inconsistency test using nodal analysis revealed no statistically significant differences between the results of direct and indirect comparisons of the six outcome indicators (all P>0.05). Furthermore, we detected no significant overall inconsistency between direct and indirect evidence. Conclusion: taTME has advantages over RTME and laTME, in terms of radical and surgical short-term outcomes in patients with rectal cancer.