Computerized anatomy of the distal radius and its relevance to volar plating, research, and teaching

Citations Over Time

Abstract

Distal radius fractures are common and fracture patterns and fixation can be complex. Computerized anatomy evaluation (CAE) might offer non-invasive and enhanced anatomy assessment that might help with implant selection and placement and screw length determination. Our goal was to test the accuracy of two CAE methods for anatomical volar plate positioning and screw lengths measurement of the distal radius. We included 56 high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography scans of intact, human distal radii. Plates were placed manually onto 3D printed models (method 1), which was compared with automated computerized plate placement onto the 3D computer models (method 2). Subsequently, screw lengths were determined digitally for both methods. Screw lengths evaluations were compared via Bland-Altman plots. Both CAE methods resulted in identical volar plate selection and in anatomical plate positioning. For screw length the concordance correlation coefficient was ≥0.91, the location shift ≤0.22 mm, and the scale shift ≤0.16. The differences were smaller than ±1 mm in all samples. Both CAE methods allow for comparable plate positioning and subsequent screw length measurement in distal radius volar plating. Both can be used as a non-invasive teaching environment for volar plate fixation. Method 2 even offers fully computerized assessments. Future studies could compare our models to other anatomical areas, post-operative volar plate positioning, and model performance in actual distal radius fracture instead of intact radii. Clin. Anat. 32:361-368, 2019. © 2018 The Authors. Clinical Anatomy published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Association of Clinical Anatomists.

Related Papers

• → Does registration of PET and planning CT images decrease interobserver and intraobserver variation in delineating tumor volumes for non–small-cell lung cancer?(2005)160 cited
• → Distal Radius Fractures—Classification of Treatment and Indications for Surgery(2009)56 cited
• → Recognizing and Treating Unique Distal Radius Fracture Patterns that are Prone to Displacement(2023)3 cited
• → Inter and intraobserver variation in gross tumor delineation on megavoltage CT images in patients undergoing tomotherapy-based image-guided radiotherapy for postoperative vault recurrences(2011)3 cited
• → TH-D-213A-01: An Evaluation of FDG-PET Uptake Thresholds for Head & Neck Target Definition Based On Local Regions of High Inter-Observer Concordance(2009)