[Comparative study of the quality of C-arm based 3D imaging of the talus]

Malposition of extraosseous or intra-articular screws, e.g., in osteosyntheses of joint fractures or in the vicinity of joints, frequently remains undiscovered in intraoperative fluoroscopy and is only recognized on postoperative computed tomography (CT) scans. The aim of the study, therefore, was to assess the value of a new mobile C-arm three-dimensional imaging device in comparison with fluoroscopy, conventional radiographs, and CT scans using an extremity model. Screws were inserted ventrally in four anatomic lower leg specimens without talus fractures parallel to the longitudinal axis to simulate surgical management of fractures of the talus. The specimens supplied were examined with fluorscopy, conventional radiography, spiral CT, and the new three-dimensional imaging with the SIREMOBIL Iso-C3D. These four modalities were evaluated by ten radiologists and ten trauma surgeons and were compared regarding subjective image quality and position of the screws. The quality of information acquired with the SIREMOBIL Iso-C3D was equal to that of the CT examinations, although image quality was considered inferior to fluoroscopy, conventional radiography, and CT (p < 0.001). In contrast to the previous procedure with intraoperative fluoroscopy and subsequent postoperative X-ray control, the results obtained with the SIREMOBIL IsoC3D were superior. The SIREMOBIL Iso-C3D is useful for the intraoperative diagnosis of small joints with few artifacts producing osteosynthesis material, i.e., for recognizing the position of screws in the region of glenoid surfaces.