Image guided orthopaedic surgery design and analysis

Within the next few years it is envisaged that a number of computer assisted surgery products will become available. For many surgical procedures, outcome of surgery will rely on the accuracy and repeatability with which a computer assisted surgical tool performs its task. This paper presents a Computer Assisted Orthopaedic System (CAOS) which takes an image guided approach to planning and implementing a trajectory, to assist an orthopaedic surgeon. Accurate delivery of this trajectory is achieved via an intelligent guide. This paper details the design issues and identifies the registration and calibration techniques used by the CAOS intelligent guide. The paper also enumerates, and where possible quantifies, the factors that influence the accuracy performance of the system. Accuracy trees are used to show the root source of inaccuracies and how they propagate and combine in a system.