Development of a fixation device for robot assisted fracture reduction of femoral shaft fractures: A biomechanical study

Robot assisted fracture reduction of femoral shaft fractures provides precise alignment while reducing the amount of intraoperative imaging. The connection between the robot and the fracture fragment should allow conventional intramedullary nailing, be minimally invasive and provide interim fracture stability. In our study we tested three different reduction tools: a conventional External Fixator, a Reposition-Plate and a Three-Point-Device with two variations (a 40 degrees and a 90 degrees version). We measured relative movements between the tools and the bone fragments in all translation and rotation planes. The Three-Point-Device 90 degrees showed the smallest average relative displacement and was the only device able to withstand the maximum applied load of 70 Nm without failure of any bone fragment. The Three-Point-Device 90 degrees complies with all the stipulated requirements and is a suitable interface for robot assisted fracture reduction of femoral shaft fractures.