Planning Module for Robotic Hip Replacement

A planning application module for total hip replacement is now available for the Robodoc Surgical Assistant System that integrates the planning of both the acetabular cup and the femoral stem.

Currently, the planning and placement of the acetabular cup itself is a major challenge for orthopedic surgeons. Recently introduced freehand navigational systems offer some assistance by providing visual cues to guide the surgeon's tool. However, reaming and placing the components are still performed by hand and can be difficult. Not being able to plan for the total hip system may lead to adverse outcomes. The new total hip system planning application module eliminates major clinical problems and lets surgeons plan for both the stem and acetabular cup, all at one time, on the Orthodoc preoperative planning workstation.

The new planning module is the product of Integrated Surgical Systems, Inc. (ISS, Davis, CA, USA). ISS also developed Robodoc, which consists of a robotic arm assembly and a PC-based 3-D planning station called Orthodoc.

"With this new system, the sssurgeon would take one computed tomography (CT) scan of the femur and pelvis instead of two separate scans and in only one 3-D planning step, the surgeon plans for the entire hip system in 3-D mode and not just the cup or the stem separately,” says Dr. Trivedi, president and CEO of ISS.