Mini-sized medical robot and computer-assisted localization for treatment of tibial fracture

A medical robot that is used for closed reduction and the internal fixation of intramedullary locking nailing in treatment of tibial fracture is designed. The system is primarily composed of stereotaxic frame and computer system. Using C-shaped arm-taken X-ray images containing various marked points and keyhole-two-end-center of intramedullary nail, the system calculates the actual position of keyhole in the coordinate system of stereotaxic frame according to space mapping relation and locates the pilot hole on the reference coordinate according to computation. Electric-traction system can realize the precise reduction and remote control operation by network transmission of operation data. In the closed reduction and the internal fixation of intramedullary nail for treatment of tibial fracture in 17 patients, robot reducing fracture and computer-assisted localization of distal keyhole were used. Remote control operation was applied in 4 of them. All operations were performed according to the preset procedure and planning of robot and navigation system. All distal lock nails were successfully implanted at one time. Results demonstrated that both medical robot and computer-assisted localization and navigation system can satisfy fracture reduction and distal lock nail implantation in the closed reduction and the internal fixation of intramedullary nail for treatment of tibial fracture and shorten intraoperative fluoroscopy time; in addition, remote control operation is reliable and easily mastered due to its simple systemic structure.