The effect of 3D virtual surgical planning in sacroiliac joint fusion.

Summary: Lower back pain is often caused by problems in the sacroiliac (SI) joint, which connects the spine to the pelvis. When normal treatments don't work, doctors can do surgery to fuse the joint together. But this surgery is tricky because it is hard to see the bones clearly using standard flat X-rays during the operation. To help, doctors started using a 3D computer plan before surgery. A study looked at 78 surgeries to see if this 3D plan helped. They found that using the 3D plan completely stopped big mistakes in placing the implant (going from 9% down to 0%). It also greatly lowered the number of smaller mistakes and bone breaks. Even though patients' pain levels stayed about the same, the surgery was much safer and more accurate with the 3D plan.