Complex bone fractures are often the result of falls in various types of downhill sports. In accidents at high speeds, skiers and mountain bikers in particular suffer severe fractures, frequently of the spine and large joints. Thanks to a new 3D technology, difficult surgical procedures can now be checked – and if necessary corrected – during an operation (OP). Previously, such 3D monitoring was possible only after the intervention, and in the worst case was associated with a second OP.

With the mobile C-arm ARCADIS® Orbic 3D, the area being treated is displayed three-dimensionally during the OP because the C-arm rotates 190 degrees about the patient. Individual X-ray acquisitions are made at defined angles, and reconstructed into a 3D dataset.

The new technique makes an immediate follow-up check possible: While still at the operating table, the surgeon can check for example whether the articular surfaces have been reconstructed accurately and smoothly, or whether the screws and other materials are located correctly and do not enter the articular space. “At the joint it is particularly important that the fracture is set correctly and accurately – and this is the significant advantage of imaging in the operation room (OR),” explains Paul Grützner, MD of the Trauma Center Ludwigshafen, Germany. “We have all the information immediately available during the intervention and can operate in a less invasive manner.” According to Grützner, the advantage is that a new intervention can be avoided, increasing the quality of the operation.

To further develop standards in the area of diagnostic imaging, Siemens is cooperating with the AO Foundation, the international surgeons’ organization. The goal of Siemens is also to train trauma surgeons in the latest technology, for example, by providing intraoperative 3D imaging during AO courses. In 2007, over 22,000 surgeons and more than 5,000 OR nurses participated in over 500 AO training courses. This cooperation between Siemens and the AO Foundation ensures the continuous improvement in treatment methods through the application of the most modern medical technology in the OR.