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Purpose To characterize the radiation dose and three‐dimensional (3D) imaging performance of a recently developed mobile, isocentric C‐arm equipped with a flat‐panel detector (FPD) for intraoperative cone‐beam computed tomography (CBCT) (Cios Spin 3D, Siemens Healthineers) and to identify potential improvements in 3D imaging protocols for pertinent imaging tasks. Methods The C‐arm features a 30 × 30 cm2 FPD and isocentric gantry with computer‐controlled motorization of rotation (0–195°), angulation (±220°), and height (0–45 cm). Geometric calibration was assessed in terms of 9 degrees of freedom of the x‐ray source and detector in CBCT scans, and the reproducibility of geometric calibration was evaluated. Standard and custom scan protocols were evaluated, with variation in the number of projections (100–400) and mAs per view (0.05–1.65 mAs). Image reconstruction was based on 3D filtered backprojection using “smooth,” “normal,” and “sharp” reconstruction filters as well as a custom, two‐dimensional 2D isotropic filter. Imaging performance was evaluated in terms of uniformity, gray value correspondence with Hounsfield units (HU), contrast, noise (noise‐power spectrum, NPS), spatial resolution (modulation transfer function, MTF), and noise‐equivalent quanta (NEQ). Performance tradeoffs among protocols were visualized in anthropomorphic phantoms for various anatomical sites and imaging tasks. Results Geometric calibration showed a high degree of reproducibility despite ~19 mm gantry flex over a nominal semicircular orbit. The dose for a CBCT scan varied from ~0.8–4.7 mGy for head protocols to ~6–38 mGy for body protocols. The MTF was consistent with sub‐mm spatial resolution, with f10 (frequency at which MTF = 10%) equal to 0.64 mm−1, 1.0 mm−1, and 1.5 mm−1 for smooth, standard, and sharp filters respectively. Implementation of a custom 2D isotropic filter improved CNR ~ 50–60% for both head and body protocols and provided more isotropic resolution and noise characteristics. The NPS and NEQ quantified the 3D noise performance and provided a guide to protocol selection, confirmed in images of anthropomorphic phantoms. Alternative scan protocols were identified according to body site and task — for example, lower‐dose body protocols (<3 mGy) sufficient for visualization of bone structures. Conclusion The studies provided objective assessment of the dose and 3D imaging performance of a new C‐arm, offering an important basis for clinical deployment and a benchmark for quality assurance. Modifications to standard 3D imaging protocols were identified that may improve performance or reduce radiation dose for pertinent imaging tasks.

Percutaneous screw fixation in pelvic trauma surgery is a challenging procedure that often requires long fluoroscopic exposure times and trial-and-error insertion attempts along narrow bone corridors of the pelvis. We report a method to automatically plan surgical trajectories using preoperative CT and assist device placement by augmenting the fluoroscopic scene with planned trajectories. A pelvic shape atlas was formed from 40 CT images and used to construct a statistical shape model (SSM). Each member of the atlas included expert definition of volumetric regions representing safe trajectory within bone corridors for fixating 10 common fracture patterns. Patient-specific planning is obtained by mapping the SSM to the (un-segmented) patient CT via active shape model (ASM) registration and free-form deformation (FFD), and the resulting transformation is used to transfer the atlas trajectory volumes to the patient CT. Fluoroscopic images acquired during K-wire placement are in turn augmented with projection of the planned trajectories via 3D–2D registration. Registration performance was evaluated via leave-one-out cross-validation over the 40-member atlas, computing the root mean square error (RMSE) in pelvic surface alignment (volumetric registration error), the positive predicted value (PPV) of volumetric trajectories within bone corridors (safety of the automatically planned trajectories), and the distance between trajectories within the planned volume and the bone cortex (absence of breach). A cadaver study was conducted in which K-wires were placed under fluoroscopic guidance to validate 3D–2D registration accuracy and evaluate the potential utility of augmented fluoroscopy with planned trajectories. The leave-one-out cross-validation achieved surface RMSE of 2.2  ±  0.3 mm after ASM registration and 1.8  ±  0.2 mm after FFD refinement. Automatically determined surgical plans conformed within bone corridors with PPV  >  90% and centerline trajectory within 3–5 mm of the bone cortex. 3D–2D registration in the cadaver study achieved 0.3  ±  0.8 mm accuracy (in-plane translation) and  <4° accuracy (in-plane rotation). Fluoroscopic images augmented with planning data exhibited  >90% conformance of volumetric planning data overlay within bone, and all centerline trajectories were within safe corridors. The approach yields a method for both automatic planning of pelvic fracture fixation and augmentation of fluoroscopy for improved surgical precision and safety. The method does not require segmentation of the patient CT, operates without additional hardware (e.g. tracking systems), and is consistent with common workflow in fluoroscopically guided procedures. The approach has the potential to reduce operating time and radiation dose by minimizing trial-and-error attempts in percutaneous screw placement.

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