Development and evaluation of robot‐assisted ultrasound navigation system for pedicle screw placement: An ex‐vivo animal validation

Abstract

PurposeSpinal instrumentation with pedicle screw placement (PSP) is an important surgical technique for spinal diseases. Accurate screw trajectory is a prerequisite for PSP. Ultrasound (US) imaging with robot‐assisted system forms a non‐radiative alternative to provide precise screw trajectory. This study reports on the development and assessment of US navigation for this application.MethodsA robot‐assisted US reconstruction was proposed and an automatic CT‐to‐US registration algorithm was investigated, allowing the registration of screw trajectories. Experiments were conducted on ex‐vivo lamb spines to evaluate system performance.ResultsIn total, 72 screw trajectories are measured, displaying an average position accuracy of 2.80 ± 1.14 mm and orientation accuracy of 1.38 ± 0.61°.ConclusionThe experimental results demonstrate the feasibility of proposed US system. This work, although restricted to laboratory settings, encourages further exploration of the potential of this technology in clinical practice.