Operating Room of the Future Orthopedic Perspective

The complexity of orthopedic procedures has mounted with increasing numbers of minimally invasive surgeries. Lack of optimal patient outcomes persist despite new techniques and improved implants. While improved training for physicians can enhance patient outcomes, computer assisted surgery (CAS) has the capability to provide even greater benefits to the patient by increasing control and repeatability. Cutting edge technology fused with new computerized techniques facilitates a full cycle of implant design and development by providing surgical preplanning and intraoperative guidance followed by post-operative gait analysis. In the pre-operative phase, these technologies can reconstruct patient specific bone models, automate cutting plane placement, and highlight anatomical abnormalities. In the intra-operative phase, the state-of-the-art CAS systems virtualize surgical protocols, provide real-time hyper-resolution micro-sensor feedback in ligament balancing, and wireless navigation guidance. Finally, in post-operative scenarios, disruptive technologies enable improved implant design through acquisition and analysis of 3D kinematic gait lab data. By introducing novel technologies and advanced computerized methods into the operating room (OR), the next generation of CAS systems will further surgeons' ability to control positive patient outcomes.