Influence of a purpose-built frame on the accuracy of computer-assisted orthopedic surgery of equine extremities.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the influence of a purpose-built frame on the accuracy of screw placement during computer-assisted orthopedic surgery (CAOS) of the equine extremity.

STUDY DESIGN

Experimental cadaveric study.

SAMPLE POPULATION

Twenty-four paired equine cadaveric limbs obtained from seven horses.

METHODS

Three 4.5-mm cortex screws were inserted in lag technique in three different planes of orientation in the proximal phalanx (P1) by means of CAOS. In the study group (n = 12 limbs), the tracker was anchored on a purpose-built frame designed to stabilize the extremity. In the control group (n = 12 limbs), a conventional tracker array was used that was anchored directly on P1. The stability of both tracker arrays was assessed during the procedure by using fiducial markers. After screw placement, preoperative and postoperative computed tomographic images were assessed to measure surgical accuracy aberrations (SAA) between the planned and achieved screw position. Descriptive statistics and repeated-measures analysis of variance were performed to compare SAA measurements between the study and control group.

RESULTS

Both tracker arrays remained consistently stable in all specimens. Mean overall SAA of screw insertion were lower in the study group (0.7 mm; median, 0.5; range 0-3.4) than in the control group (1.2 mm; median, 0.9; range, 0-4.2 mm).

CONCLUSION

The mean SAA achieved in cortex screw placement using CAOS lies within the range of approximately 1 mm. The use of a purpose-built frame avoided additional drilling of the target bone and improved surgical accuracy compared with the conventional tracker array.

CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE

The purpose-built frame described in this report can be used to facilitate CAOS in equine orthopedics without compromising surgical accuracy.