Abstract
Background The Taylor spatial frame offered the ability of simultaneous correction of the multidirectional deformities without the need of change the frame, and it was widely used for limb lengthening, deformity correction and fracture reduction in recent years. There are still some inherent limitations which can affect the accuracy of correction, especially for the measurement of the mounting and rotational parameters. The purpose of our study was to perform precise postoperative measurement of Taylor spatial frame (TSF) parameters by application of elliptic registration and three-dimensional reconstruction.Methods This retrospectively study included 28 trauma patients who suffered tibial fracture treated by the TSF at our institution from January 2016 to January 2018, including 25 males and 3 females with a mean age of 43 years (range 14–70 years). We conducted standard full-length anteroposterior and lateral X-rays of the injured extremity and the computed tomographic scans of the bilateral extremities after operation. Elliptic registration and 3D reconstruction were used to calculated the parameters by two types of software Mimics and CorelDRAW. Correction of the deformity was conducted by adjusting the struts of the TSF according to the electronic prescription. The standard anteroposterior and lateral X-rays after correction were taken to evaluate the effectiveness.Results All patients acquired functional reduction which was evaluated by digital radiography. The mean coronal plane translation(1.9 ± 2.2 mm), coronal plane angulation(1.2 ± 1.0°), sagittal plane translation(2.7 ± 2.1 mm) and sagittal plane angulation(1.2 ± 1.0°) after correction were all less than those(5.5 ± 4.6 mm, 4.9 ± 3.9°, 4.7 ± 4.0 mm, 2.7 ± 2.3°) before correction.Conclusions The TSF system can precise correct the 6-axis deformities simultaneously with the accurate parameters. Application of elliptic registration and three-dimensional reconstruction can precisely measure the TSF parameters, especially for the mounting and the rotational parameters.