9Recently, the medical team from the Department of Spine of Guanghua Hospital in Zhejiang completed an integrated cervical posterior pedicle screw fixation combined with decompression on cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) assisted by TiRobot®. In the past, it was risky and difficult to perform cervical posterior fixation. But now, with the help of TiRobot, it is much easier to use this technique and brings benefits for patients.

1. Having Operation is my last hope

Grandma Fan from Dinghai had difficult in walking since 6 years ago. She found her limbs weak while walking. She thought it was caused by lumbar so she usually had acupuncture and tuina in a nearby clinic. However, she didn`t get relieved and even gradually got worse. Three years ago, she had numb hands and found it difficult to walk. After examinations in the local hospital, she was diagnosed as CSM and was told that only surgery could solve her problem.

"It might be some mistakes, isn`t it?" As Grandma Fan's said, "I never imagined that the problem on my feet is caused by cervical spine." However, she was old and had some internal diseases, such as high blood pressure and diabetes. Besides, it was difficult and risky to operate on cervical spine. She was suggested to have conservative treatment in several hospitals. Grandma Fan didn`t get treated for a long time. As she got even worse, she was finally sent to Guanghua Hospital after inquiries.

2. TiRobot built up a bridge of life

Bony hyperplasia at the posterior margin of the disc compressed the nerve

In Guanghua Hospital, Grandma Fan was not turned down and kept in hospital at once. After examination of contraindication, the medical team led by President Li carried out the surgery assisted by TiRobot for Grandma Fan.

Preoperative Sterilization

Place the body surface locator

During the operation, the surgical site was scanned in 3D to plan on the trajectory of 7 pedicle screws after the body surface locator was placed.

Place the guide pin as planned

3D verification of the position of the guide pin to ensure its accuracy

Assisted by TiRobot and its precise positioning system, the surgeon implant screws for Grandma Fan without damage on vertebral artery and spinal marrow. It only took an hour and a half to complete the surgery and the intraoperative bleeding was also of small amount. 

3. TiRobot-assisted surgery greatly reduced risks

President Li introduced that CSM was caused by many reasons. The spinal marrow was compressed as a result of cervical spinal stenosis. As the compression got worse, the patient would gradually got weak limbs and numb hands. It would even lead to paraplegia and incontinence later. Grandma Fan’s disease was caused by severe hyperostosis compressed the spinal marrow. For patients like her, cervical anterior approach could not decompress and only the integrated posterior and decompression fixation was viable.

Compared with anterior approach, posterior cervical surgery is more difficult and risky. There might be accidental damage on nerves in decompression surgery and since the cervical pedicle is fine, the angle and position of the screw is quite important. A little mistake may cause damage on nerves and vessels or even pose a threat to life. But with the assistance of TiRobot, the risks in surgery reduced because of the precise positioning and guidance.

Source: Guanghua Hospital in Zhejiang Province

Collected by TINAVI