What are the image matching options for orthopedic robotic surgery?

 For orthopedic surgery, the precision of the procedure is the most important factor affecting safety and effectiveness. For example, the implantation of pedicle screws and joint replacement surgery require precise relative positioning between the surgical instruments and the patient. The nature of bone tissue makes it difficult for physicians to directly observe the position of instruments in the body during orthopedic surgery with the naked eye, so image navigation is required to achieve instrument positioning in orthopedic surgery, even when an orthopedic robot is involved.

What are the imaging collocation options for orthopedic robotic surgery? They generally include C-arm, G-arm, O-arm, etc.

1. Orthopedic surgery robot + C-arm

The C-arm emits X-rays from one direction to penetrate the body, and then processes them through the X-ray receiving and converting device, image processing and analysis system to obtain the required images. This device has the advantages of low radiation dose, low risk of infection, small footprint, and easy mobility.

Compared with the two-dimensional C-arm, the combination of three-dimensional C-arm and orthopedic surgery robot has become more of an industry trend. The PL300B orthopedic surgery robot is used with the PLX7500, a flat-panel 3D C-arm developed and produced by Perlove Medical, in an all-in-one solution for spine surgery, which has the advantage of optimizing the surgical process and replacing the traditional post-operative CT examination through intraoperative CT tomography, thus realizing the true meaning of “intraoperative CT” instead of “post-operative CT”. CT” instead of “postoperative CT”, effectively reducing the probability of revision surgery, improving the efficiency of surgery and optimizing resource allocation.

Orthopedic surgery robot + flat 3D C-arm

2. Orthopedic surgery robot + G-arm

The biggest difference between the G-arm and the C-arm is that it has two bulb tubes, which can realize real-time frontal and lateral imaging.

This advantage of the G-arm makes it especially popular in hospitals with high volume of orthopedic surgery and high turn-over rate.

The G-arm is mainly used in surgical procedures that require precise positioning and real-time monitoring, such as traumatic orthopedic surgery – complex surgery of irregular bones such as pelvis and neck; minimally invasive spine surgery – disc ablation, arch nerve ablation (pain department); orthopedic orthopedic surgery; open spine surgery, etc.

3. Orthopedic surgery robot + O-arm

O-arm 3D navigation system can provide doctors with 3D stereoscopic images during surgery, which can be used in various spine surgeries, including lumbar, thoracic and cervical spine surgeries. The O-arm provides a wider FOV and better image quality than the C-arm and G-arm.

The O-arm allows preoperative planning and simulation of stereo reconstructed images and images at all levels to plan the surgical path for the primary surgeon. Intraoperative images can be taken in a complete 360-degree automated loop scan, allowing for immediate correction of path planning and navigation to avoid injury to surrounding neurovascular and other vital organs and tissues, thereby reducing patient risk and complication rates. However, due to the high price of the O-arm device and the high technical requirements for operation, only a few tertiary hospitals in China are equipped with this device.