[Navigation assisted by image conversion. An experimental study on pelvic screw fixation]

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic surgery
• Medical imaging
• Surgical navigation

Background:

• Percutaneous pelvic screw fixation is a critical procedure.
• Accurate screw placement is essential for successful outcomes.
• Minimizing fluoroscopy time is desirable to reduce radiation exposure.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a novel fluoroscopy-based navigation system for percutaneous pelvic screw fixation.
• To assess the precision and efficiency of the navigation system.
• To define optimal C-arm projections for standardized screw placements.

Main Methods:

• An experimental trial was conducted using a standard C-arm and a Medivision navigation system.
• Five standardized screw positions in the pelvis were targeted.
• Three to four C-arm projections (inlet/outlet, iliac/obturator views) were defined for each screw position.
• Sixty screws were inserted into six artificial pelves to evaluate precision and fluoroscopy time.

Main Results:

• The average fluoroscopy time was 6 seconds per screw.
• 85% (51 out of 60) of screws were inserted correctly.
• Minor deviations without cortical perforation occurred in five cases.
• Cortical perforation occurred in four cases.

Conclusions:

• The tested fluoroscopy-based navigation system is precise and efficient for percutaneous pelvic screw fixation.
• Standardized C-arm projections facilitate accurate screw placement.
• The system shows promise for improving surgical outcomes and reducing radiation exposure in pelvic surgery.