Top 25 Most-Cited Articles on Robotic-Assisted Lumbar Spine Surgery.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Robot-guided lumbar spine surgery has evolved rapidly with evidence to support its utility and feasibility compared with conventional freehand and fluoroscopy-based techniques. The objective of this study was to assess trends among the top 25 most-cited articles pertaining to robotic-guided lumbar spine surgery. METHODS: An "advanced document search" using Boolean search operator terms was performed on 16 November 2022 through the Web of Science and SCOPUS citation databases to determine the top 25 most-referenced articles on robotic lumbar spine surgery. The articles were compiled into a directory and hierarchically organized based on the total number of citations. RESULTS: Cumulatively, the "Top 25" list for robot-assisted navigation in lumbar spine surgery received 2240 citations, averaging 97.39 citations annually. The number of citations ranged from 221 to 40 for the 25 most-cited articles. The most-cited study, by Kantelhardt et al, received 221 citations, averaging 18 citations per year. CONCLUSIONS: As utilization of robot-guided modalities in lumbar spine surgery increases, this review highlights the most impactful studies to support its efficacy and implementation. Practical considerations such as cost-effectiveness, however, need to be better defined through further longitudinal studies that evaluate patient-reported outcomes and cost-utility. CLINICAL RELEVANCE Through an overview of the top 25 most-cited articles, the present review highlights the rising prominence and technical efficacy of robotic-guided systems within lumbar spine surgery, with consideration to pragmatic limitations and need for additional data to facilitate cost-effective applications.