TITLE:
TiRobot-Assisted Minimally Invasive Treatment for Upper Cervical Fractures
AUTHORS:
Junlei Tan, Qianhou Zhou, Xianhai Zeng, Wenye Ma, Mingfu Li, Chengkua Huang, Guosheng Su
KEYWORDS:
Orthopedic Surgical Robot, Upper Cervical Fracture, Minimally Invasive Treatment, Screw Placement Accuracy, Postoperative Recovery
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Orthopedics,
Vol.16 No.1,
January
19,
2026
ABSTRACT: Objective: This paper aims to explore the clinical application effect of the “TiRobot” orthopedic surgical robot in assisting surgeries for upper cervical fractures, and to provide an evidence-based reference for the selection of clinical treatment plans. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 35 patients with upper cervical fractures who underwent TiRobot-assisted surgery at Baise People’s Hospital from January 2019 to September 2025. General patient information (age, hospitalization number, etc.), perioperative indicators (intraoperative blood loss, operation time, postoperative hospital stay, intraoperative fluoroscopy times), screw placement accuracy (evaluated by postoperative CT combined with the Gertzbein-Robbins standard), and prognostic recovery indicators (Visual Analogue Scale for Pain [VAS], Neck Disability Index [NDI], key muscle strength grading, and postoperative complication rate) were collected and statistically analyzed. Results: All 35 patients successfully completed the surgery. The average age of the patients was (46.37 ± 9.58) years; the average intraoperative blood loss was (282.29 ± 213.36) mL, the average operation time was (188.91 ± 34.83) minutes, the average postoperative hospital stay was (9.00 ± 3.63) days, and the average number of intraoperative fluoroscopies was (3.49 ± 0.95) times. Regarding prognostic indicators: the VAS score for neck pain decreased from (7.74 ± 0.98) points preoperatively to (5.54 ± 0.95) points at 1 week postoperatively and (2.74 ± 0.85) points at the last follow-up (6 months postoperatively); the VAS score for upper limb radiating pain decreased from (7.46 ± 0.89) points preoperatively to (4.69 ± 1.02) points at 1 week postoperatively and (1.77 ± 0.69) points at the last follow-up (6 months postoperatively), with statistically significant differences (all P [1]. The postoperative complication rate was 8.0% (3/35), all of which were transient nerve pain caused by postoperative surrounding tissue edema. The potential mechanism of this complication may be related to the slight traction of surrounding soft tissues during the insertion of the positioning sleeve in robot-assisted surgery and the compression of nerve roots by local tissue reactive edema after surgery, and its incidence is lower than the 15% - 20% reported in traditional open surgery [2]. The symptoms were relieved after mannitol dehydration treatment, and there were no severe complications such as aggravated nerve injury. Conclusion: TiRobot-assisted treatment for upper cervical fractures has significant advantages, including improving screw placement accuracy, reducing intraoperative blood loss and radiation exposure, and promoting postoperative functional recovery, with high safety and precise operation. It is worthy of clinical promotion and application.