Application of passive robot in spine surgery

Based on the Robotic Workspace analysis and synthesis theories, an In-Vivo spinal kinematic instrument (SKI) has been designed, fabricated and tested to demonstrate its applications in evaluating surgical corrections of scoliotic spine in the operating room, This paper presents the design data of the instrument and demonstrates the application of the instrument to collect data describing the vertebral alignment of a scoliotic spine in three dimensions, before and after surgical corrections. The clinical importance of the instrument is discussed. The use of the instrument by the surgeon to compare relative efficiency of various surgical techniques involving Harrington rod, Luque rods and Dwyer apparatus etc. is emphasized.