Robot-assisted ultrasound to guide spine surgery
Official title: Robot-assisted intraoperative ultrasound for spine image-guidance
Funded at Worcester Polytechnic Institute · NIH-11303484 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A new approach uses a small robot and ultrasound during spine operations to improve accuracy and patient outcomes.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Worcester Polytechnic Institute NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Worcester, United States) |
| Project start | July 15, 2026 |
| Project end | June 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $368,897 |
| NIH project number | 1R21AR085853-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11303484 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients undergoing open or minimally invasive spine procedures who would benefit from enhanced image-guided navigation and planning.
✕Less likely to help
Patients not undergoing spine surgery with image-guided navigation may not benefit.
What this research studies
This project aims to make image-guided spine surgery more reliable by pairing robot-assisted intraoperative ultrasound with automatic registration to preoperative CT scans. The team will build a level-wise registration pipeline so ultrasound can be used for both minimally invasive and open spine procedures, potentially reducing dependence on intraoperative CT. They will test the methods first in cadaver and animal models to establish ground-truth comparisons and measure accuracy and efficiency before considering clinical use.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could make spine surgeries safer and more precise by improving real-time guidance with ultrasound.
How similar studies have gone: Related image-guided surgery methods have shown promise, but this project addresses a specific registration approach using intraoperative ultrasound.
Where this research is happening
-
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Worcester, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Ji, Songbai — Worcester Polytechnic Institute
- Study coordinator: Ji, Songbai
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.