Orthopedics is the study of the musculoskeletal system. Orthopedic doctors specialize in diagnosis and treatment of problems of the musculoskeletal system. The musculoskeletal system includes the bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, muscles and nerves. The Greek word ortho means straight and pedics came from the Greek word pais meaning children. For many centuries, orthopedists have been involved in the treatment of crippled children. Over the years, the field of orthopedics has expanded to encompass many subspecialties and the treatment of a wide variety of musculoskeletal disorders in patients of all ages. Becoming an orthopedic surgeon takes a little time, but orthopedic surgery is a terrific medical specialty, and the education and training is rewarding.

For the orthopedic surgeons to perform effectively, orthopedic instruments and other important orthopedic equipment should be available when needed and should be in good quality in order to perform their orthopedic functions at their best. One of the main points in the development of orthopedic instruments is the creation of Computer Assisted Targeting device for use in orthopedic surgery. This orthopedic instrument provides the orthopedic surgeons an image guided surgery system to enable them to move an orthopedic surgical tool into a desired position relative to a body part. The system works by accurately superimposing representations of the orthopedic tool being used in the surgical field over images of the body part such that real time tool position feedback is provided to the surgeon. The orthopedic system uses a fluoroscopic x ray device to generate two dimensional body part images, a localizing device to determine the poses of orthopedic surgical tools and the x ray device, mathematical modeling of the imaging chain of the x ray device, and a means for displaying the images of the body part superimposed with representations of the orthopedic surgical tools. A related feature is the use of a digital flat panel x ray imager that employs a regular array of sensors to convert incident x ray energy to a computer readable image, thereby permitting the fluoroscopic x ray device to be used in any orientation without being affected by distortions due to local magnetic fields.

Normally, orthopedic procedures involve the fixation of a screw, plate, prosthetic component, or other orthopedic implant to the bone of a patient. Normally the bone into which the orthopedic implant is inserted or affixed is only partly exposed to the vision of the orthopedic surgeon. In order to align the orthopedic implant with respect to the unexposed bone, some sort of orthopedic imaging modality is required, such as preoperative x rays, preoperative CT scans, or intraoperative x rays using a C arm fluoroscope. However, these images can be very difficult to correlate to the anatomy of the patient in a useful manner. The field of image guided orthopedic surgery is concerned with the use of computer technology to present these images to the surgeon in a manner that makes them more relevant and useful.

The inability of the orthopedic surgeon to obtain accurate and linear orthopedic images, simultaneously in two views, may lead them to insert the guide pin along a path other than the intended one. These misplaced attempts can add significantly to the duration of the orthopedic surgery and the amount of radiation exposure to OR personnel as well as compromise of the bone stock. Further, the risks of a prolonged orthopedic procedure and the difficulty of inserting am orthopedic guide pin near the hole from a previous failed attempt may lead the orthopedic surgeon to accept a pin position that is suboptimal leading to a more serious orthopedic complication.