Spinal surgery guided by robots is just one of the latest developments in modern medicine, utilizing innovative tools that assist spinal surgeons in performing a vast range of surgical operations with extreme accuracy and precision.
Clever systems enable surgeons to plan and create a precise blueprint for each case before entering the operating room. When there, your surgeons perform the entire procedure with guidance from these robotic systems that utilize computerized 3D imagery for pinpointing the various steps.
There are many advantages to robotic spine surgery, including quicker recovery, smaller incisions, less exposure to radiation and a shorter overall stay in the hospital.
#1: What Procedures Can It Be Used For?
Many surgical procedures, from routine to the more serious, can benefit from using robots and the many advanced systems they use. These include minimally invasive procedures, spinal fusion and even complex reconstructions.
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Spinal surgery guided by robots is a brand-new technology that is very promising and has several advantages. The innovative techniques currently being used mean that surgeries are much less invasive, allowing patients to fully and quickly recover from even the most complex spinal surgeries.
Patients should welcome robotic spinal surgery and technology in these complex procedures. After all, they only work to benefit you in the long term with quicker recoveries, less exposure to radiation and not having to go under the knife.
#2: Are There Any Possible Complications?
Several studies have been performed to figure this out. A survey carried out in 2016 that was presented to the Society of Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery Annual Forum took 403 robot-guided surgeries and compared them with 224 spinal surgeries using fluoroscopic guides alongside 78 “freehand” procedures.
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For robotic surgery, the complication rate was 4%, whereas fluoroscopic and freehand had complication rates of 5.4% and 12.8%, respectively. It is clear that robot-guided surgery is less likely to cause complications for patients and is, therefore, nothing to worry about.
#3: How Widely Available Is It?
At the moment, robotic spinal surgery is still in its earliest days. It will likely continue to be improved and developed further, but the extent of necessary improvements is questionable given the low complication rate shown above.
Like in most other areas, technology is completely changing the face of modern medicine and surgery, and we are likely to see robotics and other pieces of clever kit being used more widely as time goes by.
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This is a good thing, though, as it passes several benefits on to the patient through shorter recovery times and less need to go under the knife and be cut open for simple procedures.
Robotic spinal surgery is a creative new development that utilizes modern technology to perform surgery on the spine at varying levels of complexity. It is completely safe, has a smaller chance of complication, and has many benefits. If the option is there for you, take it.