Ultrasound-based Robot-assisted Drilling System for Pedicle Screw Placement

Abstract

<p>This study presents the first automated robotic system for PSP without the need for an external tracking system. The proposed system utilizes a U-Net-based framework to segment 2d US images and reconstruct 3D anatomy features, enabling visualization of the spinal structure. Then, the desired screw trajectories are automatically registered to the 3D reconstruction. By employing this robot-assisted system, the reliance on guide-tube-based approaches is eliminated, reducing the physical demands of the procedure and allowing the surgeon to focus more on planning and evaluation rather than execution.<br> </p> <p>Experimental evaluation on two lamb vertebrae yielded four screw trajectories. The mean 3D error is 2.78 mm at the entry points and 4.82 mm at the stop points. Compared to commercial robotic systems, the use of non-radiation imaging decreases the second harm to the patient and surgeons. Meanwhile, it gets rid of the bone pin, which can lead to an incision in the patient's body. </p>