Abstract
Beside spine and pelvis surgery, computer-assisted guidance systems are not used frequently for musculoskeletal injuries. Main reason is the dependence on a fixed reference array that must be firmly attached to all moving parts. We investigated a novel fluoroscopy-based image guidance system in orthopaedic trauma surgery that uses a different technique. This was a prospective, not randomised single centre case series at a level I trauma centre. 45 patients with 46 injuries (foot 12, shoulder 10, long bones 7, hand and wrist 7, ankle 7, spine and pelvis 4) were included. Different surgical procedures were examined following the basic principles of the AO/ASIF. Main outcome measurements were the number of trials for implant placement, total surgery time, usability via user questionnaire and system failure rate. Furthermore we wanted to test the ability of the new system to be integrated in existing surgical workflows. In all cases, the trajectory function was used, inserting a total of 56 guided implants. The trajectory was the most popular feature used by surgeons (n=43, 93.5%), followed by the length measurement tool (n=29, 63%) and the bending function (n=17, 37%). The functions could be freely activated by the performing surgeon. The system failed when used in pelvic and spinal injuries, resulting in a total failure rate of 6.5% (n=3) of all included cases. The overall usability was rated as good, scoring 84.3%. This study examined the clinical application of a fluoroscopy-based image guidance system for different musculoskeletal injuries. Its major advantage is the high integrability in the accustomed surgical workflow and its connectivity with existing technical equipment. It can hardly be compared to known navigation solutions, since instruments are not tracked and fixed reference arrays are not required. Expected advantages should be explored in randomised studies.
