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Updated: Jul 13, 2026
Orthopedic Robot-Assisted Femoral Neck System in the Treatment of Femoral Neck Fracture
Published on: March 3, 2023
Determination of optimal non-invasive patient fixation methods for use in robotic hip replacement surgery--an in
A P Schulz1, M Tarabolsi, A Faber
1Department of Trauma, Orthopaedics and Reconstructive Surgery, BG Trauma Hospital, Hamburg, Germany. Romeo@apschulz.de
Background:
A robotic system for the implantation of a total hip arthroplasty (THA) is currently under development. One of the goals of this system is non-invasive patient fixation, aiding the robotic system by an infrared tracking system. To determine the extent of fixation that can be achieved by non-invasive methods, an in vitro study was performed.
Methods:
In cadaver testing, different non-invasive fixation methods (Arthrex leg holder with tourniquet mechanism; arthroscopic leg holder with disposable foam inserts; gynaecological leg holder; Goepel knee crutch) were evaluated under load in different directions.
Results:
Deviation was measured in the range 0.33-18.1 mm with up to 20 N load. The testing showed the pneumatic leg holder system to provide the highest stability, followed by an arthroscopic leg holder system with foam inserts.
Conclusions:
Use of a leg holder with foam inserts produced a stability that should enable tracking of the remaining deviation by the navigation system. We will therefore use this method in our future development of the robotic milling tool.