A Virtual Reality System for the Assessment of Patients with Lower Limb Rotational Abnormalities

Rotational lower limb abnormalities cause patellar mal-tracking which impacts young patients. Repetitive patellar dislocation may require knee arthroplasty. Surgeons employ CT to identify rotational abnormalities and make surgical decisions. Recent studies also demonstrated that immersive 3D visualisation is preferred when examining 3D volumes of patient's data. We describe a prototype VR system that allows orthopaedic surgeons assess patients' lower limb anatomy in an immersive three-dimensional environment and simulate the effects of surgical procedures such as corrective os-teotomies on a standalone VR headset. Preliminary results show an increased understanding of the patient's specific anatomy and predicted surgery outcomes.