Robot-Assisted versus non-robotic frame-based deep brain stimulation: a systematic review and meta-analysis of...

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) outcomes depend on accurate lead placement. Robot-assisted DBS (RA-DBS) has been increasingly adopted, yet its advantages over conventional non-robotic frame-based DBS (NRA-DBS) regarding targeting accuracy, operative efficiency, and clinical outcomes remain debated.To compare RA-DBS versus NRA-DBS for targeting accuracy and clinical outcomes in patients undergoing DBS for movement disorders.This meta-analysis and systematic review was registered in PROSPERO (CRD420261336001) and adhered to PRISMA. Patients with mobility disorders treated with RA-DBS versus frame-based NRA-DBS were included in comparative studies (RCTs and prospective/retrospective cohorts). Targeting accuracy measures (such as target point error, vector error, and radial error) and extreme targeting outliers were the main results. Operative time measurements, perioperative problems (such as cerebral bleeding), and motor improvement (UPDRS-III) were secondary outcomes. Fixed-effects or random-effects models based on heterogeneity were used to compute pooled odds ratios (OR) and weighted mean differences (MD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Nine high-quality comparative studies encompassing 495 patients (227 RA-DBS vs. 268 NRA-DBS) were synthesized. RA-DBS significantly minimized target point error (MD = -0.31 mm, 95% CI: -0.61 to -0.01; P = 0.04) and significantly reduced the incidence of clinically significant targeting outliers (OR = 0.15, 95% CI: 0.04 to 0.51; P = 0.002). Comprehensive three-dimensional vector error was marginally lower in the RA-DBS cohort (MD = -0.70 mm; P = 0.05), whereas two-dimensional radial error and total operating room time, surgical duration, anesthesia time, perioperative complications, and 12-month UPDRS-III motor improvements were statistically equivalent between groups. Subgroup analyses revealed that the spatial precision advantage of RA-DBS was geographically robust across East Asian and Western cohorts, whereas chronological efficiency was heavily dependent on the specific robotic platform used.Compared with conventional frame-based stereotaxy, robot-assisted DBS significantly enhances target point precision and reduces electrode deviations. However, these technical accuracy advantages do not translate into overall clinical superiority, as both approaches yield comparable operative efficiency, perioperative safety, and mid-term motor symptom relief.