Can a Spine Robot Be More Efficient and Less Expensive While Maintaining Accuracy?

Mohamed A.R. Soliman; John Pollina; Kornelis Poelstra; Saad Chaudhary; Kevin Foley

doi:10.14444/8277

Abstract

Background Spinal surgical robots are in the early phases of development and adoption. These systems need to be easier to use, less costly, and more workflow-efficient.

Methods A portable, operating room table-mounted spine robot and camera system are described. Accuracy and workflow efficiency were assessed in comparison to another commonly utilized spinal robotic system.

Results For the surgical task of inserting 4 pedicle screws into 2 adjacent lumbar vertebrae, equivalent accuracy was seen with both systems. The new robotic system was more efficient in terms of total procedure time, system setup time, and screw planning to in-position time (p<0.05).

Conclusions Spinal robotic systems can be more efficient and less expensive while maintaining accuracy.

Clinical Relevance Spinal robots are being increasingly utilized in clinical practice. Lowering the cost of these systems and increasing their workflow efficiency should help patients and spine surgeons alike.

Footnotes

Funding The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Declaration of Conflicting Interests Dr. Pollina has the following disclosures: Alphatec Spine: consultant, advisory board member; Medtronic: consultant, advisory board member. Dr. Poelstra has the following disclosures: Acuity Surgical: consultant; Atlas Spine: consultant; Innovative Surgical Devices: consultant; Flowpharma: distribution group; Kuros: research support; Inion OI: royalties; Stryker: royalties; Camber Spine: scientific advisory board; Society of Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery: scientific advisory board; Medtronic: speaking/teaching arrangements; North American Spine Society: research grant. Dr. Chaudhary has the following disclosures: Omega Fellowship: educational grant; Globus Fellowship: educational grant; Stryker: consultant; Innovative Surgical Design: consultant; Globus: honorarium; Stryker: speaker; North American Spine Society: committee role; American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons: committee role. Dr. Foley: consultant for Medtronic; direct stock ownership in Accelus, Companion Spine, Discgenics, DuraStat, Medtronic, NuVasive, Practical Navigation, RevBio, Spine Wave, Tissue Differentiation Intelligence, Triad Life Sciences, and True Digital Surgery; patent holder with Medtronic and NuVasive; royalties from Medtronic; and board of directors of Discgenics, DuraStat, RevBio, Tissue Differentiation Intelligence, Triad Life Sciences, and True Digital Surgery. All other authors have no personal, financial, or institutional interest in the materials or devices described in this manuscript.
Ethical Considerations Because this work did not involve human interaction, an institutional board review was deemed unnecessary. No patient data were collected, so patient consent was not required.
Author Contributions Conception and design: Foley, Soliman; Drafting the manuscript: Foley, Soliman; Critically revising the manuscript: All authors; Reviewed submitted version of manuscript: All authors; Statistical analysis: N/A; Study supervision: Foley, Chaudhary, Poelstra, Pollina.

This manuscript is generously published free of charge by ISASS, the International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery. Copyright © 2022 ISASS. To see more or order reprints or permissions, see http://ijssurgery.com.

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