Simulation for surgery planning for the proximal femur fracture

Abstract

Careful planning of the operation is critical to the success of the closed reduction and internal fixation (CRIF) surgery to treat the proximal femur fracture. This thesis presents a planning simulator which uses a virtual reality (VR). The developed simulator uses 3D femur model which is constructed from actual patient’s CT data. The simulator also employs 2D mouse as an input device to interact with the model simply and intuitively. Models of implants are generated using a commercial solid-modeling software, Pro-Engineer, to show the post-operative appearance of the femur which implants are inserted in. Centerline of the femur neck is extracted to assist the user to determine accurately an entry point and insertion angle of the screws. The user can confirm position of the implants at any cross section she/he selects. The developed simulator allows the user to plan both the multiple pinning (MP) and dynamic hip screw (DHS) procedures. The developed simulator allows the surgeon to determine the insertion point and angle of the screw precisely on the 3D femur model that was impossible in traditional planning method. Also, the simulator shows the post-operative appearance of the femur. It allows the surgeon to determine the size of the screw precisely and confirm the planned result.