Computer-assisted Orthopaedic Surgery

Nowadays, operating rooms can be inefficient and overcrowded. Patient data and images are at times not well integrated and displayed in a timely fashion. This lack of coordination may cause further reductions in efficiency, jeopardize patient safety, and increase costs. Fortunately, technology has much to offer the surgical disciplines and the ongoing and recent operating room innovations have advanced preoperative planning and surgical procedures by providing visual, navigational, and mechanical computerized assistance. The field of computer-assisted surgery (CAS) broadly refers to surgical interface between surgeons and machines. It is also part of the ongoing initiatives to move away from invasive to less invasive or even noninvasive procedures. CAS can be applied preoperatively, intraoperatively, and/or postoperatively to improve the outcome of orthopaedic surgical procedures as it has the potential for greater precision, control, and flexibility in carrying out surgical tasks, and enables much better visualization of the operating field than conventional methods have afforded. CAS is an active research discipline, which brings together orthopaedic practitioners with traditional technical disciplines such as engineering, computer science, and robotics. However, to achieve the best outcomes, teamwork, open communication, and willingness to adapt and adopt new skills and processes are critical. Because of the relatively short time period over which CAS has developed, long-term follow-up studies have not yet been possible. Consequently, this review aims to outline current CAS applications, limitations, and promising future developments that will continue to impact the operating room (OR) environment and the OR in the future, particularly within orthopedic and spine surgery.