Recent trends, technical concepts and components of computer-assisted orthopedic surgery systems: A comprehensive review

Computer-assisted orthopedic surgery (CAOS) systems have become one of the most important and challenging types of system in clinical orthopedics, as they enable precise treatment of musculoskeletal diseases, employing modern clinical navigation systems and surgical tools. This paper brings a comprehensive review of recent trends and possibilities of CAOS systems. There are three types of the surgical planning systems, including: systems based on the volumetric images (computer tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or ultrasound images), further systems utilize either 2D or 3D fluoroscopic images, and the last one utilizes the kinetic information about the joints and morphological information about the target bones. This complex review is focused on three fundamental aspects of CAOS systems: their essential components, types of CAOS systems, and mechanical tools used in CAOS systems. In this review, we also outline the possibilities for using ultrasound computer-assisted orthopedic surgery (UCAOS) systems as an alternative to conventionally used CAOS systems.Web of Science1923art. no. 519

Fluoroscopic freehand and electromagnetic-guided targeting system for distal locking screws of humeral intramedullary nail

Purpose The current techniques used to lock distal screws for the nailing of long bone fractures expose the surgeons, radiologists and patients to a hearty dose of ionizing radiation. The Sureshot™ Distal Targeting System is a new technique that, with the same results, allows for shorter surgery times and, consequently, less exposure to radiation. Materials and methods The study was performed on 59 patients (34 males and 25 females) with a simple humerus fracture diagnosis, type 1.2.A according to the AO classification, who were divided into two groups. Group 1 was treated with ante-grade intramedullary nailing with distal locking screws inserted with a freehand technique. Group 2 was treated with the intramedullary nail using the Sureshot™ Distal Targeting System. Two intra-operative time parameters were evaluated in both groups: the time needed for the positioning of the distal locking screws and the time of exposure to ionizing radiations during this procedure. Results Group 2 showed a lower average distal locking time compared to group 1 (645.48″ vs. 1023.57″) and also a lower average time of exposure to ionizing radiation than in group 1 (4.35″ vs. 28.96″). Conclusion The Sureshot™ Distal Targeting System has proven to be equally effective when compared to the traditional techniques, with the added benefits of a significant reduction in both surgical time and risk factors related to the exposure to ionizing radiation for all the operating room staff and the patient

Robots and tools for remodeling bone

The field of robotic surgery has progressed from small teams of researchers repurposing industrial robots, to a competitive and highly innovative subsection of the medical device industry. Surgical robots allow surgeons to perform tasks with greater ease, accuracy, or safety, and fall under one of four levels of autonomy; active, semi-active, passive, and remote manipulator. The increased accuracy afforded by surgical robots has allowed for cementless hip arthroplasty, improved postoperative alignment following knee arthroplasty, and reduced duration of intraoperative fluoroscopy among other benefits. Cutting of bone has historically used tools such as hand saws and drills, with other elaborate cutting tools now used routinely to remodel bone. Improvements in cutting accuracy and additional options for safety and monitoring during surgery give robotic surgeries some advantages over conventional techniques. This article aims to provide an overview of current robots and tools with a common target tissue of bone, proposes a new process for defining the level of autonomy for a surgical robot, and examines future directions in robotic surgery

Technical Approaches toComputer-Assisted Orthopedic Surgery

Abstract : Surgical navigation systems and medical robotic devices are increasingly being used during trauma and orthopedic surgery. This article tries to present the underlying technology of these devices and to describe different approaches to the various aspects of the methods. To structure the variety of available products and presented research modules, a new categorization for these approaches is proposed. Examples of pre- or intraoperative imaging modalities, of trackers for navigation systems, of different surgical robots, and of methods for registration as well as referencing are discussed. Many applications that have been realized for numerous surgical procedures will be presented and their advantages, disadvantages, and possible implications will be elucidate

Augmented reality for computer assisted orthopaedic surgery

In recent years, computer-assistance and robotics have established their presence in operating theatres and found success in orthopaedic procedures. Benefits of computer assisted orthopaedic surgery (CAOS) have been thoroughly explored in research, finding improvements in clinical outcomes, through increased control and precision over surgical actions. However, human-computer interaction in CAOS remains an evolving field, through emerging display technologies including augmented reality (AR) – a fused view of the real environment with virtual, computer-generated holograms. Interactions between clinicians and patient-specific data generated during CAOS are limited to basic 2D interactions on touchscreen monitors, potentially creating clutter and cognitive challenges in surgery. Work described in this thesis sought to explore the benefits of AR in CAOS through: an integration between commercially available AR and CAOS systems, creating a novel AR-centric surgical workflow to support various tasks of computer-assisted knee arthroplasty, and three pre–clinical studies exploring the impact of the new AR workflow on both existing and newly proposed quantitative and qualitative performance metrics. Early research focused on cloning the (2D) user-interface of an existing CAOS system onto a virtual AR screen and investigating any resulting impacts on usability and performance. An infrared-based registration system is also presented, describing a protocol for calibrating commercial AR headsets with optical trackers, calculating a spatial transformation between surgical and holographic coordinate frames. The main contribution of this thesis is a novel AR workflow designed to support computer-assisted patellofemoral arthroplasty. The reported workflow provided 3D in-situ holographic guidance for CAOS tasks including patient registration, pre-operative planning, and assisted-cutting. Pre-clinical experimental validation on a commercial system (NAVIO®, Smith & Nephew) for these contributions demonstrates encouraging early-stage results showing successful deployment of AR to CAOS systems, and promising indications that AR can enhance the clinician’s interactions in the future. The thesis concludes with a summary of achievements, corresponding limitations and future research opportunities.Open Acces

System integration of a fluoroscopic image calibration using robot assisted surgical guidance for distal locking process in closed intramedullary nailing of femur

Distal locking procedure is one of the most complex tasks in close intramedullary nailing operation which requires fluoroscopic image to interpret 2-D distal locking position on image related to 3-D distal locking position on the patient site. Hence the surgeon has to perform the distal locking process by using multiple fluoroscopic images which causes a lot of x-ray exposure to the patient and surgeon and is a time consuming task. This paper presents the system integration of a fluoroscopic image calibration using robot assisted surgical guidance. The system integration consists of three parts; distal locking recovery, fluoroscopic calibration and tracking, and robot assisted surgical guidance. The distal locking-hole recovery algorithm is based on characteristic information of the major and minor axes of distal locking hole. The fluoroscopic calibration and tracking is modeled as pin-hole projection model to estimate a projection equation based on optical tracking system. The robot-assisted surgical guidance is developed to overlay a trajectory path using a laser beam for reducing the problem of hand – eye coordination on most surgical navigation system. We integrate each part to complete a surgical navigation system for distal locking process. The experiment of system integration is conducted to validate the accuracy of distal locking axis position and orientation. The results of the system integration shows a mean angular error of 1.10 and mean Euclidean distance in X-Y plane error of 3.65 mm

Robotic-assisted internal fixation of femoral fractures

Closed surgical techniques for the internal fixation of femoral fractures require orthopaedic surgeons to work in close proximity to X-rays. In addition to the occupational health risk this imposes, inexperienced surgeons often encounter great difficulty in achieving optimal positioning of fracture repair fixtures. A vision-guided robotic system has been proposed as a possible solution to these problems and an initial investigation involving two exemplar orthopaedic procedures has been undertaken. Robotic surgery assistance imposes rigorous safety-related design constraints, since the orthopaedic robot must operate in close proximity to the patient and operating staff. The design and implementation of a purpose-built robotic system for orthopaedic surgery assistance is described in this paper

Power tool use in orthopaedic surgery: iatrogenic injury, its detection and technological advances

Background: Power tools are an integral part to orthopaedic surgery but have the capacity to cause iatrogenic injury. This systematic review aimed to investigate the prevalence of iatrogenic injury due to power tools in orthopaedic surgery and discuss the current methods 9that can be used to reduce this. Methods: A systematic review of all English language articles using a keyword search was undertaken in Medline, Embase, PubMed and Scopus databases. Exclusion criteria included injuries related to cast saw, temperature induced damage and complications not clearly related to power tool use. Results: 3694 abstracts were retrieved, and 88studies were included in the final analysis. Only a few studies and individual case reports directly looked at prevalence of injury due to power tools. This included 2 studies looking at frequency of vascular injury during femoral fracture fixation (0.49% and 0.2%),2 studies investigating frequency of vertebral artery injury during spinal surgery (0.5% and 0.08%)and 3 studies investigating vascular injury during total joint arthroplasty (124 vascular injuries involving 138 blood vessels,0.13% and 0.1% incidence)in addition to 1 questionnaire sent electronically to surgeons. There are multiple methods to prevent damage during the use of power tools. These include robotics, Revised Manuscript (Maximum 3000 Words) simulation, specific drill settings and real-time feedback techniques such as spectroscopy and electromyography. Conclusion: Power tools have the potential to cause iatrogenic injury to surrounding structures during orthopaedic surgery. Fortunately, the published literature suggests the frequency of iatrogenic injury using orthopaedic power tools is low. There are multiple technologies available to reduce damage using power tools. In high-risk operations the use of advanced technologies to reduce the chance of iatrogenic injury should be considered. Clinical Relevance: Power tools used during orthopaedic surgery have the potential to cause iatrogenic injury through mechanisms such as plunging or over-sawing. Understanding the prevalence of these injuries and mechanisms to increase safety would be useful to surgeons in their daily practice and have the potential to reduce iatrogenic injury in future