Robotic-assisted navigated minimally invasive pedicle screw placement in the first 100 cases at a single institution.

Proper pedicle screw placement is an integral part of spine fusion requiring expertly trained spine surgeons. Advances in medical imaging guidance have improved accuracy. There is high interest in the emerging field of robot-assisted spine surgery; however, safety and accuracy studies are needed. This study describes the pedicle screw placement of the first 100 cases in which navigated robotic assistance was used in a private practice clinical setting. A single-surgeon, single-site retrospective Institutional Review Board-exempt review of the first 100 navigated robot-assisted spine surgery cases was performed. An orthopaedic surgeon evaluated screw placement using plain film radiographs. In addition, pedicle screw malposition, reposition, and return to operating room (OR) rates were collected. Results demonstrated a high level (99%) of successful surgeon assessed pedicle screw placement in minimally invasive navigated robot-assisted spine surgery, with no malpositions requiring return to the OR.

Navigated robot-guided pedicle screws placed successfully in single-position lateral lumbar interbody fusion.

Minimally invasive lateral interbody fusion has distinct advantages over traditional posterior approaches. When posterior stabilization is needed, percutaneous placement of pedicle screws from the lateral decubitus position may potentially increase safety and improve operative efficiency by precluding the need for repositioning. However, safe placement of pedicle screws in the lateral position remains technically challenging. This study describes the pedicle screw placement of single-position lateral lumbar interbody fusion (SP-LLIF) cases in which navigated robotic assistance was used. A single-surgeon, single-site, retrospective Institutional Review Board-exempt review of the first 55 SP-LLIF navigated robot-assisted spine surgery cases performed by the lead author was conducted. An orthopaedic surgeon evaluated screw placement using plain film radiographs. In addition, pedicle screw malposition, reposition, and return to operating room (OR) rates were collected. In the first 55 SP-LLIF cases, 342 pedicle screws were placed. The average patient age and body mass index were 67 years and 29.5 kg/m2, respectively. Of the 342 screws placed, 4% (14/342) were placed manually without the robot, due to surgeon discretion. Of the 328 screws placed with the robot, 2% (7/328) were repositioned based on the surgeon's discretion, resulting in a 98% navigated robot-assisted pedicle screw placement success rate. In this cohort there were no revisions due to malpositioned screws. No complications due to screw placement were reported. This study demonstrates a high level (98%) of successful surgeon-assessed pedicle screw placement in minimally invasive navigated robot-assisted SP-LLIF, with no malpositions requiring a return to the OR.

Pedicle screw accuracy in clinical utilization of minimally invasive navigated robot-assisted spine surgery.

In the emerging field of robot-assisted spine surgery, the radiographic evaluation of pedicle screw accuracy in clinical application is an area of high interest. This study describes the pedicle screw accuracy of the first 56 consecutive cases in which navigated robotic assistance was used in a private practice clinical setting. A retrospective, Institutional Review Board-exempt review of the first 56 navigated robot-assisted spine surgery cases was performed. Pedicle screw malposition, reposition, and return to operating room (OR) rates were collected. A CT-based Gertzbein and Robbins system (GRS) was used to classify pedicle screw accuracy. In the first 56 robotic cases, 356 total pedicle screws were placed. Eight screws were placed without the robot due to surgeon discretion. Of the 348 pedicle screws inserted by navigated robotic guidance, only 2.6% (9/348) were repositioned, resulting in a 97.4% (339/348) successful screw placement rate. The average age was 64, and 48% were female. Average body mass index was 31 kg/m2. Based on the GRS CT-based grading, 97.7% (340/348) were graded A or B, 1.7% (6/348) screws were graded C, and only 0.6% (2/348) of screws were graded D. Two complications, explantation of interbody and vacuum-assisted wound closure, were reported as requiring a return to the OR, but these were not related to robotic guidance or pedicle screws. This study demonstrated a high level of accuracy (97.7%) in the first 56 cases using navigated, robot-assisted surgery based on the GRS. There were two non-screw-related complications requiring return to the operating room.