What are the six degree-of-freedom errors of a robotically-machined femoral cavity in total hip arthroplasty and are they clinically important? An in-vitro study

Machining a femoral cavity with position and orientation accurate to the planned cavity is important in robot-assisted total hip arthroplasty (THA). Fixation of cementless femoral components is initially achieved with a press fit, and therefore the position and orientation of the machined cavity dictates the placement of the femoral component. Errors in the position and/or orientation of the machined cavity translate to error in femoral component placement. In which case, the patient's femoral anteversion (FA), femoral offset (FO), and vertical offset (VO) may not be set according to the preoperative plan and may subsequently result in adverse outcomes such as limited range of motion, poor abductor muscle strength, limp, and leg length inequality [1 –13].
Source: Medical Engineering and Physics - Category: Biomedical Engineering Authors: Source Type: research