Purpose: To illustrate a surgical technique for augmented reality (AR)-assisted unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) and report preliminary data.
Methods: We developed an AR-based navigation system that enables the surgeon to see the tibial mechanical axis superimposed on the patient's leg in addition to the tibial cutting angle. We measured the tibial resection angle in 11 UKAs using postoperative radiographs and calculated the absolute difference between preoperative target angle and postoperative measured angle. The target angle was determined for each patient: mean values were 0.7° ± 1.0° varus in coronal alignment and 5.3° ± 1.4° posterior slope in sagittal alignment.
Results: The angles measured on postoperative radiographs were 2.6° ± 1.2° varus in the coronal plane and 4.8° ± 2.5° posterior slope in the sagittal plane. The absolute differences between the target and measured angles were 1.9° ± 1.5° in coronal alignment and 2.6° ± 1.2° in sagittal alignment. No patients experienced complications, including surgical site infection and periprosthetic fracture.
Conclusion: The AR-based portable navigation system may provide passable accuracy in terms of proximal tibial resection during UKA.
Level of evidence: IV.
Keywords: Augmented reality; Computer-assisted surgery; Knee; Smartphone; Virtual reality.
© 2022. The Author(s).