Evaluation of robotic-assisted navigation system for CT-guided thoracic and abdominal lesion puncture: A prospective clinical study.

Introduction: The study aims to compare the accuracy and safety of robotic-assisted navigation puncture to freehand puncture during computed tomography (CT)-guided percutaneous needle insertion in the chest and abdomen.

Methods: A total of 60 patients required percutaneous puncture procedures, with 40 involving the chest and 20 involving the abdomen. Eligible patients were randomly assigned to two groups. The test group punctured using a robotic-assisted navigation system, whereas the control group punctured manually. The primary outcome assessment standards are single puncture success rates, with the number of needle modifications and CT scan timings during the procedure serving as supplementary outcome evaluation standards. The Wilcoxon rank sum test is used for the comparison.

Results: The puncture procedure's success rates after just one puncture: The test group punctures accurately without adjusting the puncture needle, while the control group uses an average number of 1.73 ± 1.20 pins. The once-puncture success rate of robot navigation puncture is considerably higher than that of bare-handed puncture (P < 0.001). The times of CT scan are necessitated when the puncture is in place: the average times in the test group is 3.03 ± 0.18 times, while the control group is 4.70 ± 1.24 times.

Conclusion: In conclusion, the robotic-assisted navigation system improves puncture accuracy while reducing the need for needle corrections during percutaneous puncture procedures. It also shortens CT scans and reduces radiation exposure from X-rays.