ObjectiveTo compare the safety and accuracy of pedicle screw placement assisted by robot system with freehand pedicle screw placement in upper thoracic surgery.MethodsBetween December 2017 and December 2019, 39 cases with upper thoracic pedicle screw internal fixation were included in the study, including 19 cases in robot group (group A, robot assisted pedicle screw placement) and 20 cases in freehand group (group B, freehand pedicle screw placement). There were 104 screws implanted in group A and 108 screws in group B. There was no significant difference in age, gender composition, body mass index, disease type, number of screws implanted, and segmental distribution between the two groups (P>0.05). The operation time, intraoperative blood loss, and postoperative drainage were recorded and compared between the two groups. CT scan was performed in all patients at 2 days after operation to evaluate the screw accuracy based on the Gertzbein-Robbins grading standard.ResultsThe operation time of group A was significantly longer than that in group B (t=2.759, P=0.009). There was no significant difference in intraoperative blood loss and postoperative drainage between the two groups (t=−0.796, P=0.431; t=−0.814, P=0.421). At 2 days after operation, according to Gertzbein-Robbins grading standard, the accuracy of pedicle screw implantation in group A were grade A in 94 screws, grade B in 9 screws, and grade C in 1 screw; and in group B were grade A in 72 screws, grade B in 26 screws, grade C in 9 screws, and grade D in 1 screw; the difference between the two groups was significant (Z=4.257, P=0.000). The accuracy rate of group A was 99.04%, and that of group B was 90.74%, showing significant difference (χ2=7.415, P=0.006).ConclusionCompared with traditional freehand pedicle screw placement, robot-assisted pedicle screw placement significantly improves the accuracy and safety of screw placement without increasing the bleeding and postoperative drainage.
ObjectiveTo investigate the short-term effectiveness and advantages of the orthopedic robot-assisted femoral neck system (FNS) fixation in the treatment of fresh femoral neck fractures compared with the traditional manual operation. Methods A clinical data of 74 patients with fresh femoral neck fractures, who had undergone internal fixation with FNS between April 2020 and September 2021, was retrospectively analyzed. Among them, there were 31 cases of TiRobot-assisted operation (trial group) and 43 cases of traditional manual operation (control group). There was no significant difference between groups (P>0.05) in terms of gender, age, cause of injury, time from injury to operation, fracture side and type. The fracture fixation time (intraoperative fracture reduction to the end of suture), invasive fixation time (incision of internal fixation to the end of suture), the number of placing key-guide needle, incision length, intraoperative blood loss, fracture healing, and Harris score of hip function were recorded and compared. Results All operations were performed with no neurovascular injury or incision complications. The invasive fixation time, intraoperative blood loss, the number of placing key-guide needle, and the incision length in the trial group were superior to the control group (P<0.05), and there was no significant difference in fracture fixation time between groups (P>0.05). All patients were followed up 4-16 months (mean, 7 months). The fracture did not heal in 1 patient of trial group, and the other fractures healed in 2 groups; the fracture healing time was (17.6±1.9) weeks in trial group and (18.2±1.9) weeks in control group, and there was no significant difference between groups (t=0.957, P=0.345). At last follow-up, the Harris score of the trial group was 82.4±5.8, which was higher than that of the control group (79.0±7.7), but the difference was not significant (t=–1.483, P=0.147). Conclusion Orthopedic robot-assisted FNS fixation in the treatment of fresh femoral neck fractures has the similar short-term effectiveness as the traditional method, but the former has advantages in terms of operation time, intraoperative blood loss, and the number of placing key-guide needle, making the operation more minimally invasive and quicker, and more suitable for older patients.
Objective To investigate the accuracy and safety of percutaneous screw fixation for pelvic and acetabular fractures with remote navigation of orthopedic robot based on 5G technology. Methods Between January 2021 and December 2021, 15 patients with pelvic and/or acetabular fractures were treated with percutaneous screws fixation which were placed by remote navigation of orthopedic robot based on 5G technology. There were 8 males and 7 females. The age ranged from 20 to 98 years, with an average of 52.1 years. The causes of trauma included traffic accident injury in 6 cases, falling from height injury in 6 cases, fall injury in 2 cases, and heavy object smashing injury in 1 case. The time from injury to operation ranged from 3 to 32 days, with an average of 10.9 days. There were 8 cases of simple pelvic fractures, 2 simple acetabular fractures, and 5 both pelvic and acetabular fractures. There were 7 cases of pelvic fractures of Tile type B2, 2 type B3, 1 type C1, and 3 type C2; 4 cases of unilateral anterior column fracture of the acetabulum, 2 bilateral anterior column fractures, and 1 anterior wall fracture. CT images within 5 days after operation were collected for screw position assessment. The screw planning time and guidewire placement time were recorded, as well as the presence of intraoperative adverse events and complications within 5 days after operation. Results All patients achieved satisfactory surgical results. A total of 36 percutaneous screws were inserted (20 sacroiliac screws, 6 LC Ⅱ screws, 9 anterior column screws, and 1 acetabular apical screw). In terms of screw position evaluation, 32 screws (88.89%) were excellent and 4 screws (11.11%) were good; there was no screw penetrating cortical bone. The screw planning time ranged from 4 to 15 minutes, with an average of 8.7 minutes. The guidewire placement time ranged from 3 to 10 minutes, with an average of 6.8 minutes. The communication delayed in 2 cases, but the operation progress was not affected, and no serious intraoperative adverse events occurred. No delayed vascular or nerve injury, infection, or other complications occurred within 5 days after operation. No cases need surgical revision. ConclusionThe fixation of pelvic and acetabular fractures by percutaneous screw with remote navigation of orthopedic robot based on 5G technology is accurate, safe, and reliable.
Objective To explore the safety and costs of orthopedic robot-assisted treatment of calcaneal fractures. Methods The data of patients with calcaneal fractures treated by surgery in Beijing Jishuitan Hospital between January 2021 and July 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. Propensity score matching was used to match 1∶4 patients with orthopedic robotic-assisted closed reduction and internal fixation of calcaneal fractures (orthopedic robotic group) and traditional open reduction and internal fixation surgery (traditional surgery group). The safety and costs were compared between the two groups after matching. Results A total of 253 patients were included and divided into orthopedic robotic group (11 cases) and traditional surgery group (242 cases) according to different surgical methods. Before propensity score matching, there was no significant difference in age, gender, diagnosis and comorbidities between the two groups (P>0.05). After propensity score matching, there were 11 patients in the orthopedic robotic group and 44 patients in the traditional surgery group. There was no significant difference in age, gender, diagnosis and comorbidities between the two groups (P>0.05). There was no significant difference in height, weight, body mass index, operation duration, average postoperative pain score, and highest postoperative pain score between the two groups (P>0.05). The intraoperative blood loss [10.0 (10.0, 20.0) vs. 20.0 (20.0, 50.0) mL], total length of hospital stay [(4.5±1.3) vs. (8.7±3.7) d], and postoperative length of hospital stay [(2.3±1.1) vs. (4.5±2.3) d] in the orthopedic robotic group were less than the traditional surgery group (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the total hospitalization costs, rehabilitation costs, inspection and examination costs between the two groups (P>0.05). The surgical cost of orthopedic robot group [1413.7 (1287.7, 1790.8) vs. 2331.2 (2195.1, 2548.6) yuan], total ward cost [(3154.5±1213.7) vs. (5711.9±2147.4) yuan], ward consumables cost [(1407.0±942.0) vs. (2409.4±1458.2) yuan], ward medication costs [(257.1±146.6) vs. (846.7±525.2) yuan], ward diagnosis and treatment costs [(901.6±366.6) vs. (2010.5±830.6) yuan], nursing care costs [(159.6±46.1) vs. (345.2±174.7) yuan], total postoperative costs [(2370.4±1324.0) vs. (3888.6±1554.9) yuan], postoperative care costs [(105.4±52.2) vs. ( 205.6±128.2) yuan] were lower than the traditional surgery group (P<0.05). Conclusion Orthopedic robot-assisted treatment of calcaneal fractures can effectively reduce intraoperative blood loss, shorten hospitalization time, and have good safety. At the same time, it can reduce operating costs, total ward costs, ward medication costs and nursing costs.
Objective To explore the application of robot-assisted pedicle screw fixation combined with total endoscopic decompression and interbody fusion in single segment lumbar decompression and fusion. Methods A total of 27 cases undergoing single segment lumbar decompression and fusion between August 2020 and May 2021 in the People’s Hospital of Deyang City were retrospectively collected. They were divided into group A and B according to their surgery method. The patients in group A underwent robot-assisted pedicle screw fixation combined with total endoscopic decompression and interbody fusion surgery, while the ones in group B underwent traditional posterior decompression and fusion. The operation time, amount of bleeding, Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) score before operation and one month and three months after operation, and success rate of screw placement were compared. Results There were 12 patients in group A, 5 males and 7 females, aged (59.83±6.79) years, and 15 patients in group B, 6 males and 9 females, aged (53.73±14.87) years. The amount of intraoperative bleeding [(195.00±45.23) vs. (240.00±47.06) mL] and postoperative hospital stay [(5.92±1.56) vs. (8.33±3.62) d] in group A were less than those in group B (P<0.05), while the operation time [(185.80±52.13) vs. (160.70±21.37) min] and the success rate of screw placement [100.0% (48/48) vs. 96.7% (58/60)] had no statistical difference between the two groups (P>0.05). The VAS score and ODI score of the two groups decreased significantly over time (P<0.05), but there was no significant difference in VAS score between the two groups at the same time point before operation, one month after operation, or three months after operation (P>0.05). The ODI score of group A was better than that of group B one month after operation (P=0.010), but there was no significant difference between the two groups before operation or three months after operation (P>0.05). Conclusion Compared with traditional open surgery, the application of robot-assisted total endoscopic lumbar decompression and fusion technology in single segment lumbar fusion has good early clinical outcome, high success rate of screw placement, and small trauma, which is beneficial to early functional recovery and has the significance of further exploring its application prospect.
ObjectiveTo evaluate the effectiveness of robot-guided percutaneous fixation and decompression via small incision in treatment of advanced thoracolumbar metastases. Methods A clinical data of 57 patients with advanced thoracolumbar metastases admitted between June 2017 and January 2021 and met the selection criteria was retrospectively analyzed. Among them, 26 cases were treated with robot-guided percutaneous fixation and decompression via small incision (robot-guided group) and 31 cases with traditional open surgery (traditional group). There was no significant difference in gender, age, body mass index, lesion segment, primary tumor site, and preoperative Tokuhashi score, Tomita score, Spinal Instability Neoplastic Score (SINS), visual analogue scale (VAS) score, Oswestry disability index (ODI), Karnofsky score, and Frankel grading between groups (P>0.05). The operation time, hospital stays, hospital expenses, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative drainage volume, duration of intensive care unit (ICU) stay, blood transfusion, complications, and survival time were compared. The pedicle screw placement accuracy was evaluated according to the Gertzbein-Robbins grading by CT within 4 days after operation. The pain, function, and quality of life were evaluated by VAS score, ODI, Karnofsky score, and Frankel grading. Results During operation, 257 and 316 screws were implanted in the robot-guided group and the traditional group, respectively; and there was no significant difference in pedicle screw placement accuracy between groups (P>0.05). Compared with the traditional group, the operation time, hospital stays, duration of ICU stay were significantly shorter, and intraoperative blood loss and postoperative drainage volume were significantly lesser in the robot-guided group (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in hospital expenses, blood transfusion rate, and complications between groups (P>0.05). All patients were followed up 8-32 months (mean, 14 months). There was no significant difference in VAS scores between groups at 7 days after operation (P>0.05), but the robot-guided group was superior to the traditional group at 1 and 3 months after operation (P<0.05). The postoperative ODI change was significantly better in the robot-guided group than in the traditional group (P<0.05), and there was no significant difference in the postoperative Karnofsky score change and Frankel grading change when compared to the traditional group (P>0.05). Median overall survival time was 13 months [95%CI (10.858, 15.142) months] in the robot-guided group and 15 months [95%CI (13.349, 16.651) months] in the traditional group, with no significant difference between groups (χ2=0.561, P=0.454) . Conclusion Compared with traditional open surgery, the robot-guided percutaneous fixation and decompression via small incision can reduce operation time, hospital stays, intraoperative blood loss, blood transfusion, and complications in treatment of advanced thoracolumbar metastases.