Articles

Lower-Limb Traction Table with a Force, Moment, and Rotational Movement Measuring System for Direct Anterior Approach Total Hip Arthroplasty

Hiroki KATO, Risa SHOJI, Akihiko HANAFUSA, Motoki TAKAGI, Shahrol MOHAMADDAN, Tomonori BABA, Yasuhumi OISHI
JSCAS Special Issue, Advance Publication

Total hip arthroplasty (THA) is widely performed to treat hip disorders and is effective for pain relief. Among various existing surgical approaches, the direct anterior approach (DAA) has gained attention because it is minimally invasive and preserves soft tissue. A lower leg traction operating device previously developed for the anterior approach cannot measure the traction forces and moments. Excessive extension of the patient’s leg by the surgeon may result in complications such as bone fractures and nerve paralysis. In this study, a system that can measure the traction force and moment applied to the patient’s leg was developed using a 6-axis force sensor. Additionally, rotational angles during operation were measured using inertial measurement units (IMUs). An initial IMU (TAG289N1000) was mounted on the traction stand, and accuracy was tested against a motion analysis system. To address discrepancies between foot displacement and table displacement, two auxiliary IMUs (IMU2 and IMU3: MPU6886) were added to separately capture traction-relaxation and extension-flexion displacements of the traction table. Although quantitative accuracy of these IMUs has not yet been validated, a preliminary demonstration indicated their ability to capture combined movements. Experiments using a skeletal model simulating the human body were conducted to measure the traction force, moment, and rotational angle. For individual movements, when the traction distance was 40 mm, the maximum force was Fz, with an average peak of 86.2 N. When the total rotation was 20° around the Y-axis, the maximum extension force was Fz, with an average peak of 66.7 N. The minimum moment was My, with an average negative peak of −2.97 Nm. When the boot was rotated at 135° around the Z-axis, the average negative peaks of My and Mz were −13.0 and −10.8 Nm, respectively. Combined movements of external rotation, extension, and adduction were also performed to simulate femoral stem insertion. Excluding rotational movement, the force was mainly applied along the longitudinal and gravity axes. The moment was mainly applied around the longitudinal and horizontal axes. All measured forces and moments were within the rated capacity of the force sensor. Rotational angles measured using the initial IMU had average errors less than 1°, while combined movements measured using the IMU2 and IMU3 had errors less than 2°. The developed lower-limb traction table possessing force and moment measuring functions has been registered in Japan as a class I medical device named “LECURE Traction Force Measurement Boot” and is now available for use in surgery.

READ FULL ARTICLE ON J-STAGE