Micromate™ Case Report series showcases real cases conducted by physicians currently using our full-fledged robotic platform for percutaneous procedures.
For this case report, we join Interventional Radiologist Julien Garnon in a visit to the Hôpitaux de Colmar, France, for a robotic-assisted, Cone Beam CT-guided vertebroplasty.
Clinical Context
The patient was a 72-year-old female with a painful osteoporotic compression fracture with persistent edema on MRI scans. Vertebroplasty was the preferred treatment.
Interventional Procedure
The steps of Vertebroplasty include
- planning with definition of the correct entry point on different angulations,
- insertion of the needle according to the planned trajectory until the needle reaches the spine,
- advancement of the needle inside the vertebral body,
- cement injection.
The Micromate device was used for steps 2 and 3. It was gross-positioned near the predefined entry point and remotely controlled for alignment to the surgical plan under fluoroscopic live imaging.
After the alignment, the 10G vertebroplasty trocar needle was inserted along the predefined trajectory through the Micromate needle guide, again under fluoroscopic live imaging. Four needles at four different levels were placed in total.
After the placement of all needles, cement was injected and controlled with short fluoroscopy sequences. The patient had an immediate improvement in pain following the cementoplasty.
The procedure was done without complications and took 45 minutes.
Key Takeaways
Micromate™ helped to advance the needle with the proper angulation from the beginning.
The robotic system eliminated the need to manipulate the needle several times. Thus, the needle is held close to the C-arm, thereby reducing the radiation dose to the operator’s hands.
The device is easy to manipulate, even when using it for the first time. Its tiny targeting platform can be easily put aside and does not take away any operating space.
