Surgical Robotics in Spine Instrumentation

The introduction of robotic surgical technology for instrumentation in spinal surgery is a breakthrough of tremendous importance to spinal surgical practice in terms of precision, safety, workflow, and efficiency. Robotic assisted systems utilize a targeting device that supports the placement of pedicle screws to within one millimeter of perceived accuracy while allowing for less intra-operative radiation exposure and decreased soft tissue trauma. Specifically, studies comparing robotic assisted techniques and workflow to traditional freehand or fluoroscopy guided techniques have demonstrated improved targeted accuracy, and fewer pedicle screw breaches with performance of greater than 90% and even >96% with some robotic systems. Briefly, the accuracy of several robotic platforms for the placement of pedicle screws, including Medtronic's Mazor X; Globus Medical's ExcelsiusGPS; and Brainlab's Cirq, have been evaluated to demonstrate accuracy >96%.