Robotic-Assisted and Navigated Spine Surgery
Robotic-assisted spine surgery is one of the most asked-about and most misunderstood terms in the field. The robot does not operate. It is a precision guidance system: the surgeon plans the placement of each screw on a 3D model of your spine, and the robot holds the trajectory steady while the surgeon places it. The result is accuracy, smaller incisions, and less radiation for the patient and the team.
How it works
Before or during surgery, a CT scan of the spine is registered to the patient's position on the table. The surgeon plans the size and path of each screw on that 3D model. During the operation, the robotic arm positions a guide along the planned trajectory, and the surgeon places the screw through it. Navigation systems do the same job by tracking instruments on a screen in real time. Both are tools for executing a plan precisely, and both are used through small incisions.
Why it matters for patients
Screw placement is the part of a fusion where accuracy has the most consequences. Guidance systems consistently place screws within the intended path, which matters most in small or distorted anatomy, in deformity, and in revision surgery where the landmarks have been altered by prior operations. Because the surgeon does not need repeated X-rays to confirm position, radiation exposure drops. And because the guidance works through small openings, more operations can be done minimally invasively.
What it is not
Robotic assistance is not a reason to have surgery, and it does not make an operation appropriate that would not otherwise be. The decompression of the nerves, the placement of the interbody spacer, and the correction of alignment are done by the surgeon's hands and judgment. Dr. Michael trained in these systems during his fellowship at Twin Cities Spine Center and uses them because they make well-chosen operations safer and less invasive, not as a substitute for choosing well.
Common questions
Is robotic spine surgery safer?
For screw placement, the accuracy is consistently high and radiation exposure is lower. Overall safety depends far more on choosing the right operation for the right patient, which the robot does not do.
Does robotic surgery cost more?
Hospitals absorb the equipment cost; patients are billed for the operation itself. Insurance coverage is based on the surgery, not on whether a robot was used.
Which robot does Dr. Michael use?
He is trained on the major navigation and robotic platforms used in spine surgery and uses the system available at the hospital where your operation is scheduled.