AI technology improves precision in hip replacement surgery at NCH

A new artificial intelligence technology called OrthoGrid is helping surgeons improve the precision of hip replacement surgeries, potentially reducing complications and enhancing patient outcomes. More than half a million Americans undergo hip replacement each year, but if the new joint isn't placed precisely, patients can experience long-term issues.

Dr. Jeffrey Stimac, an orthopedic surgeon at HSS at NCH, explained the process: "When you do a hip replacement, you remove the ball of the hip joint, which gets replaced, and then you put in a hip socket after you remove all the cartilage. And so you have to recreate the anatomy that was removed."

Even a few millimeters off can result in one leg being longer or shorter than the other, affecting the patient's gait and potentially causing them to walk with a limp. In more severe cases, the joint may dislocate. To assist in recreating proper alignment, Stimac is using the OrthoGrid technology.

"The OrthoGrid is an artificial intelligence technology. It'll take an X-ray image, and it will identify a bunch of landmarks within that X-ray image. When I'm putting in the hip socket, it will identify landmarks, and then will help me to determine what the position of that implant is," Stimac said.

The OrthoGrid locks in up to 35 markers from the patient's anatomy and interfaces with the surgeon's movements in real time.

"So now the AI is kicked in, and so it has actually identified three different landmarks on this X-ray," Stimac said, demonstrating the tool. "Right now, the AI doesn't like it because the cup is not centered within the image."

This technology makes it easier to ensure the new joint is in the correct position, reducing issues with leg length and lowering the risk of dislocation.

"It just allows me to be a more accurate surgeon, and that is going to result in better patient outcomes," Stimac said.

Improving accuracy during hip replacement may also help artificial joints last longer because there is less friction, which is important as more, and younger, patients are getting surgery.

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