Augmented Reality in Orthopedic Surgery Is Emerging from Proof of Concept Towards Clinical Studies: a Literature Review Explaining the Technology and Current State of the Art

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Augmented reality (AR) is becoming increasingly popular in modern-day medicine. Computer-driven tools are progressively integrated into clinical and surgical procedures. The purpose of this review was to provide a comprehensive overview of the current technology and its challenges based on recent literature mainly focusing on clinical, cadaver, and innovative sawbone studies in the field of orthopedic surgery. The most relevant literature was selected according to clinical and innovational relevance and is summarized. RECENT FINDINGS: Augmented reality applications in orthopedic surgery are increasingly reported. In this review, we summarize basic principles of AR including data preparation, visualization, and registration/tracking and present recently published clinical applications in the area of spine, osteotomies, arthroplasty, trauma, and orthopedic oncology. Higher accuracy in surgical execution, reduction of radiation exposure, and decreased surgery time are major findings presented in the literature. SUMMARY: In light of the tremendous progress of technological developments in modern-day medicine and emerging numbers of research groups working on the implementation of AR in routine clinical procedures, we expect the AR technology soon to be implemented as standard devices in orthopedic surgery.