Accuracy of imageless stem navigation during simulated total hip arthroplasty

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Medical Technology
• Surgical Navigation

Background:

• Computer-assisted measurement algorithms are emerging to aid surgeons during total joint replacement procedures.
• Intraoperative assessment of leg length and offset is crucial for successful total hip arthroplasty outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the reliability of an imageless navigation system for measuring leg length and offset during simulated total hip arthroplasty.
• To compare measurements from an imageless navigation system with a physical millimeter scale on a test bench.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a sawbone model test bench simulating total hip arthroplasty.
• Employed an imageless navigation system to assess leg length and offset.
• Compared navigation system measurements against a calibrated millimeter scale.

Main Results:

• No statistically significant differences were observed between the leg length and offset measurements obtained from the imageless navigation system and the millimeter scale.
• The imageless navigation system demonstrated reliable performance in a simulated surgical environment.

Conclusions:

• The imageless navigation system provides reliable intraoperative measurements of leg length and offset in simulated total hip arthroplasty.
• This navigation method allows for measurement based on femoral position relative to the pelvis, bypassing the need to calculate the hip joint's center of rotation.
• Further research is recommended to validate the accuracy of this imageless navigation technique in anatomical and clinical settings.