Augmented Reality for Assistance of Total Knee Replacement - Kne3wiz

The aim of this work was the development of a surgical assistance system based on augmented reality to support joint Augmented Reality for Assistance of Total Knee Replacement procedures and implantation of the prosthetic knee. Images of the scene were captured in order to detect the visual markers located on the lateral surface of the patient’s leg for overlapping the 3D models of the prosthesis and the joint, as well as the tool used by the medical specialist. With the marker identification, it was possible to compute its position and orientation for locating the virtual models, obtaining a monitoring system for giving accurate information about the procedure.

Assisted computer surgery has improved the accuracy of many types of medical procedures, such as laparoscopy where the surgeon manipulates robotic arms performing minimally invasive surgery, using machine vision algorithms to obtain relevant data of the operation area during surgery.   

It is important to mention that due to the machine vision technique is possible to perform surgical procedures based on augmented reality, as can be seen in, where they use image processing for locating virtual tools and 3D models of some organs as well as the incisions, fastenings, and sutures necessary for performing the surgery, showing new fields in medical training without real patients.

One of the works that use the above concepts is presented in, focused on pancreatic surgery by using 3D modeling to represent the pancreas and an adjacent tumor, which is monitored by the surgeon during the intervention with some limitations in the real-time processing; however, the impact and importance of this technology in future surgeries and medical training are highlighted.

Latest Knee Replacement Surgery - Technology in India - Kne3wiz

Computer-assisted total knee replacement is a procedure that utilizes sophisticated computer imaging to assure the highest level of precision during the total knee replacement surgery in Ahmedabad. With the aid of a real time infrared based tracking system, we can achieve virtually perfect alignment and soft tissue balance, which are the two most critical components of a successful knee replacement.

In some ways, computer-assisted surgery is similar to the commonly used GPS systems found in aircraft and automobiles. Both systems localize specific positions in space in relation to their surroundings. Where the GPS system uses satellites and the concept of triangulation to locate positions, the surgical navigation system uses an advanced stereotactic camera and an infrared light source to locate points in space. The sophisticated software system used during surgery measures the position of your bones and the surgeon's instruments in relation to each other simultaneously at all times throughout the procedure.

Over the last decade it has become increasingly clear that using conventional methods of hand held rods and jigs to guide positioning of knee replacement components during surgery lacks in accuracy and doesn't allow the surgeon to align the knee correctly in a consistent and reproducible fashion in a high enough percentage of cases. In addition to this, placing rods into the tibia and femoral bone has the added down side of increase pain, blood loss and introducing fat emboli into the blood stream, all which are associated with less than ideal outcome for the patient.

To address these deficiencies, two new methods were introduced: one involves using special infra-red positioning sensors and a computer that work together to assist the surgeon during the operation to accurately perform the bony cuts, forgoing the need for traditional hand held rods and jigs. This first method is often referred to as “computer assisted surgery” (CAS). The computer allows us to accurately cut the correct amount of bone off both the tibia and femur in exactly the right angles to achieve the perfect fit and balance for each patient. This method has consistently been shown to be accurate in a number scientific studies.