A comparative study of robot-assisted and traditional surgeries in the treatment of thoracolumbar fractures based on 1-year follow-up observation

BACKGROUND: There are conflicting results for robot-assisted (RA) pedicle screw fixation compared with freehand (FH) pedicle screw fixation. OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to retrospectively compare the accuracy and efficacy of RA percutaneous pedicle screw fixation and traditional freehand FH pedicle screw fixation in the treatment of thoracolumbar fractures. METHODS: A total of 26 cases were assigned to the RA group, and 24 cases were assigned to the FH group. The operation time, bleeding volume, and visual analog scale (VAS) score 1 day after the operation, and the anterior/posterior (A/P) vertebral height ratio of the injured vertebrae at 3 days and at internal fixation removal 1 year after the operation were compared between the two groups. Pedicle screw position accuracy was assessed according to Gertzbein criteria. RESULTS: The operation times of the RA group and FH group were 138.69 ± 32.67 minutes and 103.67 ± 14.53 minutes, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant. The intraoperative blood loss was 49.23 ± 22.56 ml in the RA group and 78.33 ± 23.90 ml in the FH group, and the difference was statistically significant. There was a significant difference in the A/P vertebral height ratio of the injured vertebrae 3 days after the operation compared with before the operation in both groups (P < 0.05). There was a significant difference in the A/P vertebral height ratio of the injured vertebrae 3 days after the operation compared with that at fixation removal in both groups (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The application of RA orthopedic treatment for thoracolumbar fractures can achieve good fracture reduction.