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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol.
Sec. Biomaterials
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2025.1491775
Comparison of robotic AI-assisted and manual pedicle screw fixation for treating thoracolumbar fractures: A retrospective controlled trial
Provisionally accepted- 1 Department of Orthopedics, Qilu Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong Province, China
- 2 Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China
Objective:To compare the clinical efficacy and screw placement accuracy of robot artificial intelligence（AI）-assisted percutaneous screw fixation and conventional C-arm-assisted percutaneous screw fixation (manual placement) in the treatment of thoracolumbar single-segment fractures without neurological symptoms.Methods:This study is a single-center retrospective analysis involving patients with thoracolumbar single-segment fractures without neurological symptoms. Patients were divided into Group A (robotic AI-assisted placement) and Group B (manual placement). Clinical outcomes such as operative time, intraoperative fluoroscopy frequency, screw placement accuracy, postoperative complications, length of hospital stay, and postoperative pain were compared between the two groups.Results:Group A showed significantly better screw placement accuracy, fewer intraoperative fluoroscopy attempts, shorter fluoroscopy time, and fewer guidewire adjustments compared to Group B (P<0.05). Additionally, Group A had shorter hospital stays, a lower incidence of postoperative complications, and short-term greater improvement in Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) scores (P<0.05). However, after one year of follow-up, there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in the improvement of VAS scores.Conclusion:Robotic AI-assisted placement improves pedicle screw placement accuracy, reduces intraoperative fluoroscopy frequency and time, alleviates postoperative pain, and accelerates patient recovery. This approach aligns with the principles of enhanced recovery in orthopedic surgery and holds promise for wider clinical application in the treatment of thoracolumbar fractures.
Keywords: Robotic AI-assisted navigation, assisted screw placement, manual screw placement, Thoracolumbar fractures, Safety
Received: 05 Sep 2024; Accepted: 27 Mar 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Xiao, Wang, Meng, Zhao and Pan. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Hua Zhao, Department of Orthopedics, Qilu Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, Shandong Province, China
Xin Pan, Department of Orthopedics, Qilu Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, Shandong Province, China
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