Virtual 3D planning of pelvic fracture reduction and implant placement

In pelvic surgery, CT images are commonly used for diagnosis and surgical planning. The images are often displayed and manipulated in a 2D environment, which is insufficient owing to the complex geometry of a pelvic structure. Moreover, a pre-bend of the reconstruction plates is necessary, but difficult to complete, because of the lack of appropriate templates. In this study, an integrated preoperative planning system is developed to provide 3D models and physical templates so that the surgeon can simulate and observe his planning and prepare better-fitted curved plates before surgery. The proposed method can be divided into the following four stages: 3D display, bone segmentation, bone reduction, and implant placement. As for the designed curved plates, they can be fabricated as templates by means of rapid prototyping technology. Several examples, including artificial bones, real CT images and real pelvic surgery, have been presented to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed method.