Robot-assisted closed reduction of femoral shaft fractures: a prospective controlled study

To evaluate and compare the effectiveness of an intelligent fracture reduction robotic system in assisting closed reduction and intramedullary nailing of femoral shaft fractures with that of conventional fluoroscopy-assisted manual reduction and fixation.

In this prospective, non-randomized controlled study, 30 patients with newly diagnosed femoral shaft fractures were enrolled, with 15 cases in the experimental group (robot-assisted) and 15 cases in the control group (conventional). The experimental group utilized an orthopaedic surgical navigation system to assist in closed reduction and intramedullary nailing, while the control group underwent fluoroscopy-assisted manual reduction and fixation. The reduction time, total operation time, intraoperative fluoroscopy count, blood loss, and reduction error were compared between the two groups.

Baseline characteristics were similar across both groups. The experimental group required significantly fewer intraoperative fluoroscopies (36.67 ± 25.41 vs. 117.26 ± 61.28, P < 0.001). Postoperative femoral length discrepancy (1.74 ± 1.37 mm) and anteversion difference (3.66 ± 3.37°) were significantly smaller in the experimental group compared to the control group (4.16 ± 2.67 mm, P = 0.004; 13.81 ± 9.58°, P = 0.001). Intraoperative blood loss was comparable between groups (experimental group: 207.33 ± 119.91 mL vs. control group: 240.00 ± 139.13 mL, P = 0.497). Reduction time was not statistically significant (experimental group: 74.27 ± 27.38 min vs. control group: 69.73 ± 34.10 min, P = 0.691).

The robot-assisted approach provided more precise fracture reduction, required fewer intraoperative X-ray fluoroscopies, and offered significant advantages over the conventional method for the minimally invasive treatment of femoral fractures.