Comparison of 2 Robotic Systems for Pediatric Stereoelectroencephalography Implantation

Stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) remains critical in guiding epilepsy surgery. Robot-assisted techniques have shown promise in improving SEEG implantation outcomes but have not been directly compared. In this single-institution series, we compared ROSA and Stealth AutoGuide robots in pediatric SEEG implantation.

We retrospectively reviewed 21 sequential pediatric SEEG implantations consisting of 6 ROSA and 15 AutoGuide procedures. We determined mean operative time, time per electrode, root mean square (RMS) registration error, and surgical complications. Three-dimensional radial distances were calculated between each electrode's measured entry and target points with respective errors from the planned trajectory line.

Mean overall/per electrode operating time was 73.5/7.5 minutes for ROSA and 126.1/10.9 minutes for AutoGuide (P = 0.030 overall, P = 0.082 per electrode). Mean RMS registration error was 0.77 mm (0.55-0.93 mm) for ROSA and 0.6 mm (0.2-1.0 mm) for AutoGuide (P = 0.26). No procedures experienced complications. The mean radial (entry point error was 1.23 ± 0.11 mm for ROSA and 2.65 ± 0.12 mm for AutoGuide (P < 0.001), while the mean radial target point error was 1.86 ± 0.15 mm for ROSA and 3.25 ± 0.16 mm for AutoGuide (P < 0.001).

Overall operative time was greater for AutoGuide procedures, although there was no statistically significant difference in time per electrode. Both systems are highly accurate with no significant RMS error difference. While the ROSA robot yielded significantly lower entry and target point errors, both robots are safe and reliable for deep electrode insertion in pediatric epilepsy.