Intraoperative assessment of acetabular orientation: technical note

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Radiology
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Acetabular surgery is crucial for treating developmental hip dysplasia and cerebral palsy-related hip issues.
• Accurate correction of acetabular fragment orientation is vital for successful surgical outcomes.
• Existing methods may lack precision in assessing coronal plane alignment during surgery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present and validate a novel technique for accurately assessing coronal plane orientation during acetabular surgery.
• To evaluate the reliability of intraoperative measurements compared to postoperative assessments.

Main Methods:

• A new technique was employed during acetabular surgery to measure coronal plane alteration.
• Intraoperative image intensifier records were systematically compared with postoperative radiographic films.
• The accuracy of coronal plane correction was quantitatively evaluated using the sourcil angle.

Main Results:

• The intraoperative sourcil angle demonstrated a strong correlation with the postoperative angle, with a discrepancy of within 1°.
• A high Spearman correlation coefficient (R=0.97) was observed, indicating a close relationship between intraoperative and postoperative measurements.
• The technique proved effective in accurately assessing coronal plane correction.

Conclusions:

• The described technique provides a reliable and accurate method for assessing coronal plane correction in acetabular surgery.
• This approach can enhance surgical precision for patients with hip dysplasia and cerebral palsy.
• Intraoperative sourcil angle measurement is a valuable tool for guiding acetabular fragment orientation.