A new study published in the International Journal of Spine Surgery examines robotic technology use during spine surgery for spinal tumors.
There were nine consecutive patients included in the study with the average age at 60 years old. The surgeons performed robotic-assisted posterior instrumentation for all patients, with robotic-assisted vertebral augmentation performed for four patients. There were five levels instrumented on average. Here are five things to know about the findings:
1. The complication rate of spinal tumor surgeries is at 5.3 percent to 19 percent in the published literature. The robotic assistance improved the complication rate over historical figures.
2. Average surgery time was four hours and 24 minutes.
3. Blood loss was 319 mL on average.
4. Seven of the patients reported improved back pain and/or leg pain scores at the last follow-up. The data wasn't available for the remaining two patients.
5. The researchers concluded, "Our study shows the robotic system was safe and performed as desired in the treatment of metastatic and primary spine tumors."