Preliminary exploration of a quantitative assessment index for the matching performance of anatomical bone plates using computer

BACKGROUND: To explore a new quantitative index to assess the matching performance of anatomical bone plates using digital technology. METHODS: CT data of normal tibias of 40 adults were collected. Two brands of medial distal tibia plates were digitized. Two trained orthopedists simulated the surgical operation in Rhino 5.1 software by placing the plate curve on the medial distal tibia surface. The volume of the interstice between the plate curve and the bone surface was measured. The inverse value of this average interstice distance was used as the matching performance index (MPI). A wall thickness analysis tool was used to mark various interstice distances with varied colors. RESULTS: The Kangli medial distal tibia plate had a MPI of 0.55 ± 0.08 by operator A and 0.55 ± 0.06 by operator B. The general care medial distal tibia plate had a MPI of 0.32 ± 0.06 by operator A and 0.31 ± 0.05 by operator B. There were significant variations in the MPI between the two types of plates by both operators (p < 0.001). And significant variations were observed in the MPI of general care medial distal tibia plates among various operator groups (p = 0.028). CONCLUSION: This quantitative index of matching performance is straightforward and intuitive. However, we still need a method to improve the experimental repeatability, especially when it comes to a plate with poor matching performance.