Robotic navigation during spine surgery

Introduction: Potential complications associated with screw malposition may result in neurological deficits or vascular injuries. Spine surgery has significantly developed under the assistance of technological progress. The advantages of applying robotic technology in spine surgery include the possibility of improving screw accuracy, reducing complications, decreasing fluoroscopy use. Areas covered: We critically evaluated the current literature on the radiographic and clinical outcomes of robotic-assisted spine surgery, including accuracy, radiation exposure, operative time, and complication rates. Expert opinion: Robotic-assisted spine surgery shows promising results and has the potentials for further investigations. The robot-assisted spine surgery is appeared to be more accurate in pedicle screw placement than the free-hand technique. In general, the robot-assisted technique is associated with shorter radiation exposure time but longer operative time than free-hand technique. For higher accuracy of robotic-assisted spine surgery, technical advancement and high-quality researches are needed. Artificial intelligent technology, decompression function, and higher accuracy are the directions for the development of robotic-assisted spine surgery.