Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 13, 2026
Treatment with Locking Intramedullary Nailing for Intertrochanteric Fracture of the Femur Utilizing a New Awl with a Distal Positioner
Published on: June 6, 2025
Can fluoroscopy-based computer navigation improve entry point selection for intramedullary nailing of femur
Meghan C Crookshank1, Max R Edwards, Michael Sellan
1Martin Orthopaedic Biomechanics Laboratory, St Michael's Hospital, Li Ka Shing Institute, Room B116, 30 Bond Street, Toronto, ON, M5B 1W8, Canada.
Background:
The entry point is crucial to an accurate reduction in femoral nailing. Fluoroscopy-based navigation was developed to aid in reducing femur fractures and selecting entry points.
Questions/Purposes:
We asked: (1) Can the piriformis fossa (PF) and tip of the greater trochanter (TT) be identified with high reproducibility? (2) What is the range of nonneutral images clinically acceptable for entry point selection? (3) Does navigation improve accuracy and precision of landmarking the TT and PF? And (4) does off-angle fluoroscopy within the acceptable range affect landmark accuracy?
Methods:
Three orthopaedic surgeons digitized the PF and TT under direct visualization on 10 cadaveric femurs, quantifying the reproducibility of the targeted PF and TT landmarks. Arcs of acceptable AP and lateral images of each femur were acquired in increments of 5° with a C-arm. An experienced orthopaedic surgeon rejected or accepted images for entry point selection by qualitatively assessing the relative positions and sizes of the greater trochanter, lesser trochanter, and femoral neck. Entry points were identified on each image using fluoroscopy and navigation. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to compare accuracy and precision between navigation and fluoroscopy and the effects of image angle.
Results:
A 29° average arc of acceptable images was found. Reproducibility of the target landmarks for the PF and TT under direct visualization was excellent. Navigation had similar accuracy to fluoroscopy for PF localization but less for TT. Navigation increased precision compared to fluoroscopy for both PF and TT. Image angle affected accuracy of the PF and TT under fluoroscopy and navigation.
Conclusions:
Nonorthogonal images reduce accuracy of PF and TT identification with both navigation and fluoroscopy. Navigation increased precision but decreased accuracy and cannot overcome inaccuracies induced by nonorthogonal images.
