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Image-Guided Surgical Robotic System for Percutaneous Reduction of Joint Fractures
Giulio Dagnino1, Ioannis Georgilas2, Samir Morad2,3
1Bristol Robotics Laboratory, University of the West of England, Coldharbour Lane, Bristol, BS161QY, UK. dagnino.giulio@gmail.com.
Annals of Biomedical Engineering
|August 18, 2017
Summary
A novel robot-assisted surgical system enables percutaneous treatment of complex knee fractures, improving accuracy and reducing risks associated with traditional open surgery for better patient outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Orthopedic surgery
- Medical robotics
- Image-guided surgery
Background:
- Complex joint fractures often necessitate open surgery, leading to significant soft tissue damage, extended hospital stays, and prolonged rehabilitation.
- Current percutaneous fracture fixation methods are limited by suboptimal 2D imaging and challenges in fragment manipulation due to soft tissue forces, risking malreduction.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce and evaluate an image-guided robotic system for percutaneous treatment of knee joint fractures.
- To assess the feasibility and accuracy of the robot-assisted fracture surgery (RAFS) system in cadaveric trials.
Main Methods:
- Development of a novel robot-assisted fracture surgery (RAFS) system featuring simultaneous fragment manipulation, a secure robot-bone fixation, and a robotic traction manipulator.
- Testing the RAFS system on 9 cadaver specimens with distal femur fractures (T- and Y-shape 33-C1).
Main Results:
- The RAFS system successfully reduced 7 out of 9 tested distal femur fractures.
- Achieved acceptable accuracy in fracture reduction, with deviations of approximately 1 mm and 5°.
- Demonstrated the system's applicability for percutaneous knee joint fracture fixation.
Conclusions:
- The developed image-guided robotic system offers a promising approach for minimally invasive percutaneous treatment of complex knee fractures.
- This technology has the potential to be extended to other complex fractures (hip, ankle, shoulder), advancing minimally invasive surgical techniques.
