ABSTRACT
Objective:To investigate the clinical efficacy of robotic navigation and percutaneous internal fixation in the treatment of fresh undisplaced scaphoid lumbar fractures.Methods:From November 2019 to October 2020, 8 patients were treated at Department of Hand Surgery, Xuzhou Renci Hospital for fresh undisplaced scaphoid lumbar fractures. There were 7 males and one female with an average age of 27.5 years (from 18 to 42 years), and 5 left and 3 right cases. Navigation by a Tianji orthopedic robot was conducted to decide the positions for implantation of percutaneous Herbert screws to fixate the fractures. The bone healing was followed up by regular X-ray and CT examinations. The functional recovery was evaluated by Mayo wrist score, grip strength, pinch strength and wrist range of motion, and the wrist pain was evaluated by visual analogue scale (VAS).Results:All the 8 patients were followed up for a mean time of 12.8 months (from 6 to 19 months). All the wounds healed by the first intention without any inflammation or infection. CT examination at 3 months postoperation found that all the fracture ends got united. At the final follow-up, the average active motions of the injured wrist were: 67.9° in flexion, 64.1° in extension, 21.2° in radial deviation and 52.2° in unlar deviation, respectively. The average grip strength was recovered to 31.3 kg, reaching up to 85.2% (from 66.7% to 100.0%) of the contralateral wrist; the average pinch force was recovered to 19.5 kg, reaching up to 89.3% (from 77.8% to 100.0%) of the contralateral wrist. At the last follow-up, the Mayo wrist function scores averaged 97.5 (from 95 to 100) and all the 8 cases were excellent. The VAS pain score of the wrist averaged 0.88 (from 0 to 2).Conclusion:In the treatment of fresh undisplaced scaphoid lumbar fractures, navigation with a Tianji orthopedic robot can be used to visualize percutaneous minimally invasive screw fixation so that accurate positioning and precise screw placement are ensured, leading to rapid rehabilitation.