Development of a K-wire guiding robotic system for scaphoid fracture reduction

Fracture reduction of carpal bones is rather difficult, because of their tight formation. Therefore, it is difficult to recognize their posture and position as well as their segmentation. This paper deals with a novel robotic system for a K-wire guiding using CT and fluoroscopic images for scaphoid fracture reduction. The robot is designed to consider issues such as sterilization, X-ray halation and easy setup. Template matching in registration is investigated focusing on shape and structure of the carpal bones as well as scaphoid itself. Experiments show validity of the developed system in terms of insertion accuracy and operation time