Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 8, 2025
A Teleoperated Robotic System-Assisted Percutaneous Transiliac-Transsacral Screw Fixation Technique
Published on: January 6, 2023
Development of an Innovative Surgical Navigation System for Sacrospinous Fixation in Pelvic Surgery
Julie Rozaire1, Alexandre Naaim1, Laura Dubuis1
1Univ Lyon, Univ Gustave Eiffel, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, LBMC UMR_T9406, Lyon, France.
Study Objective:
To validate the use of an innovative navigation method for sacrospinous fixation in surgery-like conditions as a new teaching tool and surgical method.
Design:
Two-month experimental prospective pilot study between July and August 2021.
Setting:
Biomechanics laboratory academic research.
Patients:
A total of 29 participants took part in the study: 9 gynecological surgeons and 20 participants with no medical background.
Interventions:
All participants used the 2 mocks-up.
Measurements And Main Results:
The experiment was composed of 2 training phases dedicated to improving the hand-eye coordination and suture skills on a training mock-up and of a suturing phase on a pelvic mock-up designed to recreate the surgery-like conditions of a sacrospinous fixation. The surgeons provided qualitative feedback on the bio-accuracy of the mock-ups and evaluated the ease of use of the navigation software. Nonsurgeons were included to assess the progression of the suture performance between 2 experiments performed 1 week apart (session 1 and 2). The main objective for participants was to reach a virtual target and to stitch sacrospinous ligaments. For session 1, an overall comfort score of 7.2 of 10 was attributed to the tool; 14 (42%) surgeon suture attempts and 63 (65%) nonsurgeon suture attempts were accurate (i.e., below the 5-mm threshold). Twenty-two (67%) surgeon suture attempts and 28 (34%) nonsurgeon suture attempts were fast (i.e., in the first 2 quantiles of the duration dataset). An improvement in the nonsurgeon performance was observed between the 2 sessions in terms of duration (session 1: 46 ± 20 s; session 2: 37 ± 18 s; p = .047) and distance (session 1: 3.8 ± 1.3 mm; session 2: 3.2 ± 1.4 mm; p = 10-5) for the last suturing exercise.
Conclusion:
This new motion capture-based navigation method for sacrospinous fixation tested under surgery-like conditions seemed to be accurate and effective. The next step will be to design a pelvis model more adapted to the constraints of a sacrospinous fixation and to validate the benefits of this method compared with current techniques.
