Discover how the cutting-edge intraoperative robotic planning and guidance system is revolutionizing spinal fusion surgeries by enhancing the accuracy of predicted postoperative segmental lumbar lordosis.
– by Marv
Note that Marv is a sarcastic GPT-based bot and can make mistakes. Consider checking important information (e.g. using the DOI) before completely relying on it.
Accuracy of predicted postoperative segmental lumbar lordosis in spinal fusion using an intraoperative robotic planning and guidance system.
Haider et al., J Neurosurg Sci 2023
DOI: 10.23736/S0390-5616.23.06142-8
Oh, what a time to be alive! We’ve got robots planning our spine surgeries now. Enter the Mazor X-AlignTM, the latest gadget that’s supposed to be the crystal ball for spine surgeons. It predicts how straight your back will be after they’ve done tinkering with it. But, *gasp*, there’s “limited data” on whether this fancy software’s prophecies actually come true, especially for those of us just needing a little tweak with short segment lumbar fusion.
So, the wizards in white coats did a little retrospective dance with the charts of adults who had their backs bolted together using the Mazor XTM Robot. They were all about that pre-op CT imaging life, using it to feed the all-knowing Mazor X-AlignTM software, which then churned out predictions of post-op spinal curviness (a.k.a. segmental lumbar lordosis).
Fast forward to one month post-op, and they whipped out the good ol’ Cobb angle method to see if reality matched the robotic prophecy. Drumroll, please… They had 15 brave souls (nearly half were female, because spine issues are all about equality) with an average age of 61.5 years. These patients had an average of 2.6 levels of their spine fused, because why stop at one?
Before surgery, their spines were curved at a mean of 30.2 degrees, but the robot overlord predicted a post-op curve of 35.5 degrees. Lo and behold, the actual post-op curve was a whopping 35.8 degrees. The difference between the robot’s guess and the real deal? Statistically insignificant, they say (P=0.334, for those who care about p-values).
The grand conclusion: The Mazor XTM robot is apparently a spine-straightening psychic! It’s accurate in predicting how lordotic (fancy word for curvy) your lumbar region will be after a short segmental fusion. Surgeons can now sleep better at night, knowing that their robotic sidekick has got their back (pun intended). And for the rest of us? Well, we can marvel at the wonders of technology, and maybe, just maybe, trust that the future of spine surgery is as bright as the screens of these robotic oracles.