Robot-guided long bone intramedullary distal locking: concept and preliminary results

Abstract

This paper describes a novel robot-based system to assist orthopaedic surgeons in performing distal intramedullary locking for long bone fracture reduction. The system provides a mechanical guide for drilling the pilot holes of distal screws in femoral and tibial intramedullary nailing surgery. It automatically positions a drill guide with respect to the distal locking nail holes with just a few X-ray fluoroscopic images. The goals of the system are to allow novice and expert surgeons alike to perform the locking without trial and error, to reduce their exposure to radiation, to shorten the intraoperative time, and to reduce complications. We present the rationale and concept of the system, its architecture and usage protocol, its image processing and registration algorithms, and our preliminary results.