[APPLICATION OF COMPUTER-ASSISTED SURGICAL PLANNING IN SURGICAL TREATMENT OF ANKLE FRACTURES]

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Medical Imaging
• Surgical Technology

Background:

• Ankle fractures, particularly trimalleolar fractures, present complex challenges in surgical management.
• Accurate preoperative assessment and planning are crucial for achieving optimal reduction and fixation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the clinical utility of computer-assisted surgical planning in treating ankle fractures.
• To determine if virtual planning enhances surgical decision-making and patient outcomes.

Main Methods:

• 42 patients with closed trimalleolar ankle fractures underwent open reduction and internal fixation.
• Preoperative planning involved virtual reduction and fixation using specialized software (Superimage).
• Patients were classified using the Lauge-Hansen system, and outcomes assessed with the Baird-Jackson score.

Main Results:

• The study demonstrated high rates of anatomic reduction and good implant positioning postoperatively.
• Patients experienced good functional recovery, with ankle range of motion nearing normal within 6-8 weeks.
• An overall excellent or good outcome rate of 88% was achieved, with minimal degenerative changes observed.

Conclusions:

• Computer-assisted surgical planning is valuable for identifying ankle fracture types and optimizing surgical strategies.
• This technology facilitates accurate fracture reduction and appropriate implant selection/placement.
• Effective treatment of ankle fractures can be achieved with computer-assisted planning, leading to favorable clinical results.