Robotic pedicle drilling detects breaches using electrical signals
Ex vivo breach detection using electrical conductivity during robotic pedicle drilling in the spine
Robotics
Summary
Putting screws in the spine for scoliosis surgery is tricky and dangerous because it's hard to see where exactly to drill. The authors designed a robot with a special tool that senses tiny electrical changes while drilling to spot if it’s about to go too far and hit something important. They tested this on real bone samples and found the robot could stop the drill before causing any harm every time. This method works without needing extra cameras or x-rays during surgery.
What this means in practice
- •For orthopedic surgeons: Improve safety during spinal screw placement with a robot that prevents breaches by detecting electrical signals in real time.
- •For medical device developers: Design surgical tools that integrate electrical bioimpedance sensing to enable autonomous breach detection during robotic drilling.$Commercial implications: Enables development of smarter robotic surgical hardware that reduces complications and reliance on external imaging, appealing to medical device markets.
Authors
Jorge Andrés Pérez Velásquez, François Teyssere, Thibault Chandanson, Quentin Grimal, Brahim Tamadazte
Abstract
Purpose: Pedicle screw placement is technically demanding in scoliosis treatment. High precision is required due to limited visibility, anatomical variability, and the risk of complications. Although robotic systems assist CT-based planning and execution, they still rely on ionizing intraoperative imaging and complex registration. This study proposes robotic pedicle drilling with real-time preventive breach detection using electrical bioimpedance sensing. Methods: We developed a robotic approach combined with a pedicle-drilling tool equipped with a proprioceptive electrical bioimpedance sensor developed by SpineGuard. A real-time detection algorithm was designed to analyze the electrical bioimpedance signal during drilling and identify abrupt changes in conductivity associated with potential breaches towards the spinal canal. The method operates without external devices or sensors. Results: The ex vivo experiments showed that the proposed method prevented breaches in 100 of the 51 drilling cases. These findings demonstrate the system's ability to detect potentially hazardous events during drilling and to stop the procedure before. The ex vivo experiments demonstrated that the proposed method prevented breaches in all 51 drilling cases. Conclusions: This work demonstrates the feasibility of robotic pedicle drilling with electrical bioimpedance sensing for real-time breach prevention. Using only the tool signal, the method eliminates the need for external sensing systems and supports safer pedicle screw placement.