Robot-assisted craniotomy.

In the Special Research Centre 414 of the German Research Funding (DFG, Bonn) a system for robot-assisted cranial surgery was developed. It is designed for the accurate and safe execution of craniotomies and repositioning of bone pieces. The system is intended for use in the surgical therapy of craniosynostosis. Preoperatively, CT imaging is performed. In a computerized planning system the position and shape of the intended craniotomy is intuitively planned on a virtual model of the patient's skull. Intraoperatively, after conventional removal of the covering soft tissue, the robot performs the craniotomy autonomously. Extensive testing in phantom studies and animal tests confirmed the reliability and accuracy of the system. A thorough risk analysis of the system was performed. In this paper, the first clinical use of the system on a patient is described and the clinical importance is discussed.