7 Steps to Successful Orthopedic Planning

When it comes to preoperative planning, accurate images are everything.

All images received from radiographers should:

• Be captured from the correct viewing angle – not rotated

• Be in full size – not cropped

• Have the right contrast – not too bright or too dark

Accurate calibration is a major step towards achieving precision in preoperative planning. Using calibration markers facilitates accurate digital templating¹ and helps reduce magnification errors caused by the patient size and position.

Whether you’re taking anteroposterior (AP) pelvic images or preparing for knee, upper limb or foot & ankle procedures, for the most accurate preoperative planning process, the right type of calibration device is needed.

For AP pelvic x-ray images, it is recommended to use a double-marker calibration tool, which is automatically recognized by preoperative planning software. For example, in the clinical study, A novel method of accurately calculating the radiological magnification of the hip, the double marker calibration method was shown to be superior to conventional, single-ball markers².

For all other procedures, it is recommended to use a single marker device positioned at the level of the bone. This type of device is also automatically recognized by the preoperative planning software.

Read more about orthopedic calibration here.

Before starting to template the image with the right implants, start by assessing the patient’s anatomy, and check for specific measurements that may inform the right surgical decisions³.

Preoperative planning software provides enhanced tools to assess the patient’s anatomy for every case, so the preoperative planning process can begin after collecting valuable data on the patient’s condition.

For example, check the Reimers migration percentage or the hip center of rotation, analyze the limb alignment or determine the resection lines.

Accuracy is a key factor for the success of a surgery, but accuracy during surgery starts way before the first incision is even made.

According to a range of clinical studies, accurate templating and sizing of implants in orthopedic surgeries can reduce the risk of complications⁴ and the procedure’s duration^5,6. Ultimately, it saves valuable time in the O.R. by enabling surgeons to determine the right implant size ahead of time.

As part of the preoperative planning process, be sure to collect all the measurements needed, confirm template sizes and simulate the outcomes of the hip reduction or the knee alignment in advance.

Surgery can be a stressful experience for patients, and a picture is worth a thousand words. Use your planned case to provide patients with details about the upcoming procedure and show them the expected results.

After successfully planning the case, this is the right time to organize all the relevant pieces of information needed to prepare for the surgery.

Generate pre-surgical reports including patient details and images, implant information, measurements taken and comments.

Although it might seem like it, the orthopedic planning process doesn’t end immediately after the surgery is completed. To truly determine if your preoperative plan was accurate enough, the postoperative verification stage is critical.

Leverage the data you collected and connect it from preoperative planning to postoperative analysis to create an insightful treatment assessment for you, your surgical team and your patient.

For example, use postoperative anatomical analysis tools to compare your planned case with the actual outcomes of the surgery, or assess the implant condition and patient satisfaction over time. Taking the time to carefully review the process and the insights generated from the preoperative and postoperative tools and applying them to future plans supports increasingly streamlined surgeries in the future.

When it comes to the complete cycle of orthopedic planning, these 7 steps can standardize success for orthopedic surgeons.