Augmented reality-aided unicompartmental knee arthroplasty.

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Medical Technology
• Surgical Navigation

Background:

• Unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) aims to preserve native joint structures.
• Accurate tibial resection is crucial for optimal UKA outcomes.
• Traditional navigation methods can be cumbersome in the operating room.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a novel surgical technique utilizing augmented reality (AR) for unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA).
• To evaluate the preliminary accuracy of an AR-based navigation system in guiding tibial resection during UKA.

Main Methods:

• Development of an AR navigation system displaying the tibial mechanical axis and cutting angle.
• Measurement of tibial resection angles in 11 UKA cases using postoperative radiographs.
• Calculation of the difference between preoperative target angles and postoperative measured angles for coronal and sagittal alignment.

Main Results:

• Postoperative measurements showed mean coronal alignment of 2.6° varus and sagittal alignment of 4.8° posterior slope.
• The absolute differences between target and measured angles were 1.9° (coronal) and 2.6° (sagittal).
• No complications such as surgical site infection or periprosthetic fracture were reported.

Conclusions:

• The developed AR-based portable navigation system demonstrates acceptable accuracy for proximal tibial resection in UKA.
• This technology offers a potential advancement in AR-assisted orthopedic surgery.
• Further studies are warranted to confirm long-term efficacy and clinical benefits.