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Virtual reconstruction of unilateral pelvic fractures by using pelvic symmetry

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International Journal of Computer Assisted Radiology and Surgery Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

Pelvic fractures are known to be one of the most difficult injuries to treat. The objective of this study is to introduce a novel technique for virtual unilateral pelvic fracture reconstruction. Since the pelvis exhibits remarkable left–right symmetry, the contralateral hemipelvis can be used as a template for rebuilding the fractured hemipelvis.

Methods

CT scan data of the pelvic region of eight subjects with acute unilateral pelvic fractures were involved in this study. Computer-aided design software was used to create 3D models of these pelvises. The contralateral hemipelvis of each subject was then reflected across the sagittal plane, and the fractured hemipelvis was rebuilt by aligning the bone fragments with their equivalent location on the reflected side. To evaluate the quality of this reduction process, a 3D deviation analysis was conducted to calculate the differences between the reflected intact hemipelvis and the reconstructed hemipelvis.

Results

Results showed that the average root mean square (RMS) of deviations and average percentage of points within a ± 2 mm predefined threshold was 1.32 ± 0.22 mm and 88.4 ± 3.78%, respectively. The deviation color maps obtained indicated that the largest differences were along the fracture lines and on the non-articular surfaces of the pelvises.

Conclusion

These results allowed us to conclude the validity of this procedure, since the average RMS difference was below 2 mm and the average percentage of points within ± 2 mm was high. The proposed technique will allow surgeons to provide their patients with more accurate reconstruction procedures which can potentially improve surgical outcomes.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the support of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) for funding this work. We also thank Irina Ilic for her assistance in the pelvis digitization process.

Funding

This work was funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada

    Maha S. Ead, Lindsey Westover, Samantha Polege, Sarah McClelland & Kajsa K. Duke

  2. Department of Radiology and Diagnostic Imaging, Faculty of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada

    Jacob L. Jaremko

Authors
  1. Maha S. Ead
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  2. Lindsey Westover
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  3. Samantha Polege
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  4. Sarah McClelland
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  5. Jacob L. Jaremko
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  6. Kajsa K. Duke
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Correspondence to Lindsey Westover.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Approval from the Health Research Ethics Board at the University of Alberta was obtained with a waiver of consent to use the data anonymously.

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Ead, M.S., Westover, L., Polege, S. et al. Virtual reconstruction of unilateral pelvic fractures by using pelvic symmetry. Int J CARS 15, 1267–1277 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11548-020-02140-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11548-020-02140-z

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