A review of surgical robots for spinal interventions

Abstract

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to describe the state of the art in surgical robotics for spinal interventions, a challenging problem for which robots can provide valuable assistance. METHODS: Multiple electronic databases were searched for articles published during the last 10 years (2002-2012). Results were refined by defined inclusion criteria. RESULTS: A total of 18 different robots were found. Among them, five are commercially available systems: one specifically designed for spinal surgery, one for percutaneous needle-based interventions, two are radiosurgical systems with reported applications on the spine and another is a commercial robot which has been experimentally tested on spinal surgery. The remaining projects are research prototypes which are still on validation stages. CONCLUSIONS: A comprehensive state of the art is presented, showing that spinal robotic surgery is still at an early stage of development but with great potential for improvement.