ABSTRACT
Presurgical planning is a useful means of attaining consistent and predictable surgical results. The range of intraoperative errors is narrowed, and surgical time and materials are minimized. Computer-assisted presurgical planning is an extremely valuable tool for reconstructive foot surgery. A versatile, self-taught software program that permits longitudinal tracking of deformities and visualization of multiple surgical options, i.e., base wedge versus neck osteotomy, is effective in terms of cost, speed, accessibility, documentation, research, and education. The concept of CAD in presurgical planning is not new to other surgical specialties, but as of this date, it has not been implemented fully by podiatric surgeons. The cost factor for office computer use has decreased significantly over the years, and it is highly unusual to locate an office today that does not employ a computer in some aspect of office operation. The additional hardware and OrthoGraphics software at this date may represent between a $6000 and $20,000 investment, depending on how sophisticated an office operation is desired. It is of particular interest that one optical disk in the ICS can hold up to 1000 patient records with nearly 4000 radiographs. In addition, a 35-mm slide-creating interface is available along with the opportunity to modify existing programs to create custom software to meet special needs. It would appear that the teaching applications of this type of system are most compatible with the podiatric medical college clinical curriculum as a component of instructional programs in both biomechanics and surgery.
