Robot-assisted Anterior Odontoid Screw Fixation: A Case Report

Anterior odontoid screw fixation has been proved to be effective but technically challenging because the difficult approach is associated with high risks of screw malposition and damage to surrounding vital structures. Navigation techniques are therefore increasingly being used to improve safety and accuracy. However, no robot-assisted odontoid screw fixation has yet been reported. We here report a 61-year-old woman with a type II dens fracture on whom anterior odontoid screw fixation was performed under the guidance of a newly developed robotic system (TiRobot, co-designed by Beijing Jishuitan Hospital and TINAVI Medical Technologies). One odontoid screw was safely and accurately placed, the calculated deviation between the planned and actual positions being 0.9 mm. No intraoperative complications were identified and the patient was discharged on Day 5. Follow-up studies after 2 weeks showed good clinical and radiological results. We believe this is the first reported case of robot-assisted anterior odontoid screw fixation. We consider that complicated procedures can become feasible, safe and accurate using TiRobot systems.