Cleveland Clinic researchers found that minimally invasive and robot-assisted spine surgery achieved similar outcomes to open procedures while improving efficiency.
The study, published in the Journal of Neurosurgery: Case Lessons, reviewed eight patients who underwent two-level fusion for Bertolotti syndrome with adjacent segment disease. Patients were split between open surgery and minimally invasive or robot-assisted approaches, according to an April 23 news release.
Minimally invasive and robotic procedures averaged 3 hours and 30 minutes with 50 milliliters of blood loss, compared to 5 hours and 49 minutes with 300 milliliters for open surgery. No patients in either group required readmission or reoperation during a 12-month follow-up period.
Both groups showed improved physical function, with 50% of patients in the minimally invasive cohort reaching a clinically meaningful improvement. Pain scores declined across all patients, though mental health and depression scores did not significantly improve, according to the release.
The findings support using minimally invasive or robotic techniques for complex spine cases, while emphasizing the need for multidisciplinary care to address ongoing mental health challenges tied to chronic pain.
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