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Background: Medical robotics has enabled a significant advancement in the field of modern spine surgery, especially in pedicle screw fixation. A plethora of studies focused on the accuracy of pedicle fixation in robotic-assisted (RA) technology. However, it is not clear whether RA techniques can improve patients' clinical outcomes. Methods: We retrieved relevant studies that compare the differences between RA and freehand (FH) techniques in spine surgeries from the following databases: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library and Web of Science. The perioperative outcomes of this technology were measured with parameters including radiation exposure, operative time, the length of hospital stay, complication rates and revision rates. Two reviewers independently reviewed the studies in our sample, assessed their validity and extracted relevant data. Results: Our search resulted in a sample of 23 eligible studies, which involved 1247 patients (5042 pedicle screws) in the RA group and 1273 patients (4830 pedicle screws) in the FH group. With regard to the radiation exposure, the fluoroscopy time was less in surgeries assisted by Mazor robots (standard mean difference [SMD] ¼ À 0.96, 95% CI ¼ À 1.60 to À 0.31) but more in Tianji robots (SMD ¼ 0.91, 95% CI ¼ 0.17 to 1.66) and ROSA robots (SMD ¼ 2.57, 95% CI ¼ 2.01 to 3.13). For radiation dose, a decrease was observed in Tianji robots (SMD ¼ À 1.59, 95% CI ¼ À 2.13 to À 1.05). In the lumbar subgroup, the use of robots increased the operative time (SMD ¼ 0.53, 95% CI ¼ 0.19 to 0.86). In the degenerative diseases (DG) group, there was a significant decrease in the length of hospital stay when robots were introduced (SMD ¼ À 0.30, 95% CI ¼ À 0.48 to À 0.12). While in the DF (deformity) and DG group, a significant increase was found (SMD ¼ 0.17, 95% CI ¼ 0.02 to 0.32). The complication (OR ¼ 0.41, 95% CI ¼ 0.26 to 0.66) and the revision rates (OR ¼ 0.38, 95% CI ¼ 0.24 to 0.60) showed a significant decrease in the RA group compared to the conventional FH group. Conclusions: This study suggests that RA spine surgeries would result in fewer complications, a lower revision rate and shorter length of hospital stay. As the technology continues to evolve, we may expect more applications of robotic systems in spine surgeries. Junyu Li and Yanming Fang contributed equally to this work.

Objective To systematically review and summarize the available literature regarding the association between systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and sexual dysfunction (SD) in both sexes. Methods We retrieved relevant studies from the following databases: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science. Two reviewers independently reviewed the studies in our sample, assessed their validity, and extracted relevant data. Sensitivity and subgroup analyses were performed to distinguish sources of heterogeneity. Results Our search resulted in a sample of eight eligible studies, which involved 758 patients in the SLE group and 1724 individuals in the control group. The pooled RR for the increased risk for SD compared to those in the control group was 1.80 (95%CI 1.12-2.87). Subgroup analysis by sex revealed that males (pooled RR = 2.98, 95%CI 2.41-3.68) had a higher risk of SD compared to females (pooled RR = 1.56, 95%CI 0.99-2.48). Females with SLE had significantly lower values in FSFI compared to the healthy individuals (WMD=-0.224, 95%CI -0.441 to -0.078). Age of participants and the quality of studies might influence the results. Conclusions Our meta-analysis suggests that SLE is significantly associated with an increased risk of sexual dysfunction. It is of great urgency to implement for active interventions that aimed to treat or prevent SD among SLE patients.