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Template guided versus freehand rod bending in spinal deformity surgery: a feasibility study
L Bättig1, A R Dixon2, E Molero Hidalgo2
1Neurosurgery Department, Spine Center HOCH Health Ostschweiz, Cantonal Hospital of St. Gallen, Rorschacher Str. 95, 9007, St. Gallen, Switzerland.
Scientific Reports
|May 28, 2026
Summary
Template-guided rod bending significantly improves spinal deformity correction accuracy and efficiency compared to freehand methods. This technique offers the greatest benefit for less experienced surgeons in simulated environments.
Area of Science:
- Spine surgery
- Orthopedic biomechanics
- Medical device technology
Background:
- Accurate sagittal alignment is crucial in spinal deformity correction.
- Imprecise rod contouring can lead to compromised alignment and junctional failure.
- Current methods for rod bending lack standardized accuracy assessments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the accuracy and efficiency of template-guided versus freehand rod contouring in a simulated spinal deformity correction environment.
- To evaluate the impact of surgeon experience on the effectiveness of different rod bending techniques.
Main Methods:
- A feasibility study using SurgiMap® software to design 12 double-curved rods from full-spine radiographs.
- Six surgeons performed freehand or 2D paper template-guided rod bending on stainless steel and cobalt-chromium rods.
- Tangent-vector analysis was used to compare digitized rod contour angles (RCAs) with planned contours.
Main Results:
- Template-guided bending significantly improved contouring accuracy (mean RCA difference: 2.6° ± 1.3°, p < 0.01) and reduced the number of bends required (4.1 ± 1.3, p < 0.01).
- No significant increase in bending time was observed with the template-guided method (p = 0.11).
- Subgroup analysis revealed significant accuracy improvements primarily in less experienced surgeons.
Conclusions:
- Template-based rod bending enhances sagittal contouring accuracy and efficiency in simulated spinal deformity correction.
- The template-guided approach is particularly beneficial for surgeons with less experience.
- Further clinical validation is warranted to confirm these findings in practice.
