SpineGuard's DSG Technology Applied to Robotics

Podium Presentation of the Results at the Conference on New Technologies for Computer and Robot Assisted Surgery (CRAS) - Seite 2

CRAS (Conference on New Technologies for Computer and Robot Assisted Surgery) founded in 2011 has become one of the most recognized scientific conferences in the field of robot assisted surgery. Its goals are to strengthen the collaboration between the different research groups to boost the efficacy and shorten the development cycle, in a context where numerous technologies applicable to robotics have not made their way into operating rooms yet.

A clinically relevant configuration

As stated in our march press release, the experiment which results were presented, consists in automatically stopping the drill bit as the tip is aiming at the bone boundary during a vertebral drilling performed autonomously by a robot. However, in order to go further in the challenge and the demonstration of DSG efficacy, the trajectory is now pedicular. It presents tangential configurations perfectly matching delicate surgical situations where the spinal canal protecting the spinal cord must be avoided, and where the tip does not coast the bone surface in a perpendicular way. The algorithm used for the detection was tuned before the 50-drilling series was performed, and no adjustments or calibrations are needed for each specimen. The ex vivo pig vertebra validation model (butcher shop) does not involve any animal sacrifice.

100% success, an indisputable result

100% of the drillings stopped within a corridor considered as clinically safe, which consists of 2 millimeters on each side of the interface between bone and the spinal canal. More precisely, all drillings belonged to a -0.9mm/+1.4mm interval, with a mean distance of 0.7mm. This was obtained although the drilling was performed in a totally "blind" manner, with neither utilization of pre-op nor intra-op imaging.

This study and described algorithms are the fruits of the collaboration between SpineGuard and ISIR. Part of this work received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program, in the context of the FAROS project (Functional Accurate RObotic Surgery) under grant agreement No 101016985.

About SpineGuard

Founded in 2009 in France and the USA by Pierre Jérôme and Stéphane Bette, SpineGuard is an innovative company deploying its proprietary radiation-free real time sensing technology DSG (Dynamic Surgical Guidance) to secure and streamline the placement of implants in the skeleton. SpineGuard designs, develops and markets medical devices that have been used in over 95,000 surgical procedures worldwide. Twenty-five studies published in peer-reviewed scientific journals have demonstrated the multiple benefits DSG offers to patients, surgeons, surgical staff and hospitals. Building on these strong fundamentals and several strategic partnerships, SpineGuard has expanded the scope of its DSG technology in innovative applications such as the « smart » pedicle screw, the DSG Connect visualization and registration interface, dental implantology and surgical robotics. DSG was co-invented by Maurice Bourlion, Ph.D., Ciaran Bolger, M.D., Ph.D., and Alain Vanquaethem, Biomedical Engineer. SpineGuard has engaged in multiple ESG initiatives. For further information, visit www.spineguard.com