Abstract
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.
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.