REVIEW article
Front. Surg.
Sec. Orthopedic Surgery
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fsurg.2025.1559419
This article is part of the Research TopicAdvances in Precision Medicine for Minimally Invasive Treatment of Pelvis/Hip Fractures: Integration of Digital and Intelligent TechnologiesView all 5 articles
Robot-Assisted Fracture Fixation for Pelvic Fractures: A Scoping Review of Emerging Technologies
Provisionally accepted
- Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
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Background: Pelvic fractures (PF) are complex injuries often requiring multidisciplinary management. Robot-assisted fracture Fixation (RAFF) systems have emerged as a promising innovation in PF treatment, offering improved precision, reduced radiation exposure, and minimally invasive techniques. This scoping review aims to synthesize the current evidence on the accuracy, safety, and efficiency of RAFF systems in managing PF, highlighting their benefits, limitations, and future potential. Methods: A scoping review was conducted adhering to PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Databases including PubMed and Web of Science were searched to identify studies evaluating RAFF systems for PF. Eligible studies involved adult patients undergoing robot-assisted interventions for PF and reported outcomes on accuracy, operative time, blood loss, and complications. Data extraction focused on study design, robotic platform, outcomes, and methodological quality assessed via MINORS and RoB-2. Results: Twelve studies were included, comprising case reports, case series, and one comparative study. RAFF systems demonstrated high accuracy in fracture reduction with reduced fluoroscopic exposure and minimal blood loss. Functional outcomes assessed by Matta criteria and Majeed scores were favorable. However, most studies were limited by small sample sizes and lack of long-term follow-up. No high-quality randomized controlled trials were identified. Conclusions: RAFF systems show significant potential in improving surgical outcomes for PF, offering enhanced precision and reduced operative risks. Nevertheless, robust, high-quality studies are needed to establish the longterm efficacy and economic viability of these systems. Standardized protocols and multicenter trials are critical for advancing the application of robotics in orthopedic trauma surgery.
Keywords: Pelvic fractures, Robot-assisted fracture Fixation, minimally invasive surgery, TiRobot, Orthopedic trauma, Surgical precision, Matta criteria
Received: 12 Jan 2025; Accepted: 07 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Wu, Wang and Zheng. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Boyi Wu, Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
Jun Zheng, Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.