Objective To evaluate the clinical outcome of ankle arthrodesis with screw fixation through the transfibular approach for end‐stage ankle arthritis. Methods Data of 22 patients (28 ankles) with end‐stage ankle arthritis admitted to the Department of Orthopedics and Surgery of the First Hospital of Jilin University from May 2015 to December 2018 were analyzed retrospectively. The study included 9 men and 13 women, with a mean age of 56.86 ± 11.27 years (range, 37–75 years). The mean duration of the disease was 11.36 ± 12.80 years (range, 3 months‐50 years). A total of 16 patients had posttraumatic arthritis, 5 patients had osteoarthritis, and 1 patient had rheumatoid arthritis. There were 12 cases of the left ankle and 16 cases of the right ankle; 16 cases were unilateral and 6 were bilateral. The same surgical procedure was applied to all patients. Collected data included the operation time, intraoperative and postoperative blood loss, hospitalization time, bone union rate, time to bone union, and complications. The American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle hindfoot score and the visual analogue scale (VAS) were used to evaluate the preoperative status and the postoperative outcome at the last follow up. Results The mean follow‐up period was 26.14 ± 10.99 months. The mean operation time was 101.82 ± 33.33 min. The mean blood loss was 116.78 ± 68.86 mL during the procedure and 111.07 ± 52.18 mL after the procedure. The mean hospitalization time was 14.22 ± 5.42 days. Bone union of the ankle joint was achieved in all patients. The mean time to bone union was 14.83 ± 2.14 weeks. There was significant difference in the operation time between the patients undergoing unilateral and bilateral ankle arthrodesis. The AOFAS ankle hindfoot score increased from the preoperative value of 43.46 ± 4.39 points to 80.39 ± 5.37 points at the last follow up. During the same interval, the VAS score improved from 6.14 ± 0.80 points to 1.64 ± 0.73 points. The AOFAS ankle hindfoot score of patients who underwent unilateral ankle arthrodesis improved from the preoperative 43.19 ± 3.95 points to 81.75 ± 5.23 points at the last follow up, and the VAS score improved from 6.19 ± 0.83 points to 1.69 ± 0.70 points. The AOFAS ankle hindfoot score of patients undergoing bilateral ankle arthrodesis improved from the preoperative value of 43.83 ± 5.08 points to 78.67 ± 5.05 points at the last follow up, while the VAS score improved from 6.08 ± 0.82 points to 1.58 ± 0.79 points. There was significant difference in the maximum walking distance and walking on any surface between the patients undergoing unilateral and bilateral ankle arthrodesis. One patient developed superficial peroneal nerve palsy, which resolved within 1 year after the operation. In another patient, healing of the incision skin was delayed. During the follow‐up period, none of the patients developed an infection of the incision or local skin necrosis; screw loosening, withdrawal, or breakage did not occur in any patient. Conclusion The ankle arthrodesis with screw ...

Background Virtual and augmented reality (VAR) represents a combination of current state-of-the-art computer and imaging technologies and has the potential to be a revolutionary technology in many surgical fields. An increasing number of investigators have developed and applied VAR in hip-related surgery with the aim of using this technology to reduce hip surgery–related complications, improve surgical success rates, and reduce surgical risks. These technologies are beginning to be widely used in hip-related preoperative operation simulation and training, intraoperative navigation tools in the operating room, and postoperative rehabilitation. Objective With the aim of reviewing the current status of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) in hip-related surgery and summarizing its benefits, we discussed and briefly described the applicability, advantages, limitations, and future perspectives of VR and AR techniques in hip-related surgery, such as preoperative operation simulation and training; explored the possible future applications of AR in the operating room; and discussed the bright prospects of VR and AR technologies in postoperative rehabilitation after hip surgery. Methods We searched the PubMed and Web of Science databases using the following key search terms: (“virtual reality” OR “augmented reality”) AND (“pelvis” OR “hip”). The literature on basic and clinical research related to the aforementioned key search terms, that is, studies evaluating the key factors, challenges, or problems of using of VAR technology in hip-related surgery, was collected. Results A total of 40 studies and reports were included and classified into the following categories: total hip arthroplasty, hip resurfacing, femoral neck fracture, pelvic fracture, acetabular fracture, tumor, arthroscopy, and postoperative rehabilitation. Quality assessment could be performed in 30 studies. Among the clinical studies, there were 16 case series with an average score of 89 out of 100 points (89%) and 1 case report that scored 81 (SD 10.11) out of 100 points (81%) according to the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklist. Two cadaveric studies scored 85 of 100 points (85%) and 92 of 100 points (92%) according to the Quality Appraisal for Cadaveric Studies scale. Conclusions VR and AR technologies hold great promise for hip-related surgeries, especially for preoperative operation simulation and training, feasibility applications in the operating room, and postoperative rehabilitation, and have the potential to assist orthopedic surgeons in operating more accurately and safely. More comparative studies are necessary, including studies focusing on clinical outcomes and cost-effectiveness.

Total knee arthroplasty is an effective treatment for end-stage knee osteoarthritis. The tibial platform osteotomy must take full account of the coronal plane, the sagittal plane, and the rotational alignment of the tibial prosthesis. During surgery, individual differences in the coronal alignment of the tibia need to be taken into account as poor alignment after surgery can lead to rapid wear of the tibial platform, reducing the longevity of the prosthesis and adversely affecting quality of life. Intraoperative tibial osteotomies are often performed using extramedullary alignment. When an extramedullary alignment approach is used, the proximal tibial osteotomy guide is usually placed in the medial third of the tibial tuberosity. There is no consensus on the most reliable anatomical landmarks or axes for achieving distal tibial coronary alignment. Anatomical points or reference axes that are highly reproducible and precise need to be identified. From available data it appears that most surgeons use the extensor hallucis longus tendon, the second metatarsal, and the anterior tibial cortex to determine the distal localization point. However, its accuracy has not been confirmed in clinical and radiographic data, and the alignment concept and preoperative planning for total knee arthroplasty has paid more attention to rotational alignment, but there are few studies on the coronal alignment of the tibia. This article reviews the recent use of the distal tibial coronal osteotomy reference point in total knee arthroplasty. However, due to there being only a small number of studies available, the evidence collected is insufficient to prove that a certain reference axis has obvious advantages and a combination of different reference points is needed to achieve the ideal lower extremity force line angle.

BACKGROUND Virtual and augmented reality technology represents a combination of current state-of-the-art computer and imaging technologies, and has the potential to be a disruptive technology in many surgical fields. An increasing number of investigators have developed and applied current computer-assisted surgery and training to hip-related surgery with the aim of using this technology to reduce hip surgery-related complications, improve success rates, and reduce surgical risks. Virtual and augmented reality techniques have been shown to improve surgical outcomes by providing feedback on the anatomical features and spatial location of the hip. OBJECTIVE To review the use of virtual and augmented reality technology in hip-related surgery and to summarize its benefits in related procedures, we discuss and briefly describe the applicability, advantages, limitations, and future developments of various simulators using virtual and augmented reality in hip-related surgery. METHODS We searched the PubMed and Web of Science databases by using the following key search terms: “virtual and augmented reality technology and hip surgery” and “total hip replacement” OR “THR” and “hip trauma and fracture”. RESULTS Using the above keywords, we retrieved more than 170 relevant papers published between 1997 and 2021. After assessing their eligibility, we found 8 studies of simulators for selective total hip replacement and surface reconstruction that used virtual and augmented reality technology. All 8 studies comparatively evaluated simulators for elective total or surface replacement and hip trauma and fracture fixation that adopted virtual and augmented reality technology, and 5 studies validated the types of simulators and means of demonstration in relation to those that adopted virtual and augmented reality technology. CONCLUSIONS Virtual and augmented reality technology is an improvement over conventional computer-assisted surgical approaches, and holds great promise for orthopedic surgery, both for clinical practice and surgical training. This technology employs useful information to broaden the surgeon’s view, provides the surgeon with precise images of the patient’s anatomy, enables the visualization of the patient’s surgical data in real time, enhances preoperative planning, improves the accuracy and precision of interventions, and improves treatment quality and patient outcomes.