Verifying the Effectiveness of a Computer-Aided Navigation System for Arthroscopic Hip Surgery

Computer-aided technology can decrease the difficulty associated with arthroscopic surgery. Unlike a larger incision that exposes the whole joint, a small arthroscopic incision limits the surgeon to view the joint only from the arthroscope. Our computer-aided system for hip arthroscopy addresses this loss of joint visibility by (1) tracking tool position with a linkage of encoders, and (2) indicating the tool position relative to the patient anatomy. This paper presents a study of user performance to verify the effectiveness of this computer-aided system for hip arthroscopy. A user study was completed to determine if the computer-aided system could help reduce task completion time and tool path length. Ten participants completed a simple navigation task with and without the assistance of the computer-aided system. A time reduction of 38% and a 72% tool path-length decrease was achieved with the computer-aided system, confirming its effectiveness.