Minimally invasive plate osteosynthesis (MIPO) is the method of choice for bone fracture treatment. By opening only small access points to the surrounding tissue, the osteosynthesis plate and the required screws are brought close to the fracture. MIPO has been shown to shorten recovery times, accelerate fracture healing and reduce the number of infections. The widespread use of MIPO is impeded by the need for radiation-based control for an accurate location, which increases the applied dose. In addition, the soft tissue enclosed in the fracture ends is not visible, which makes MIPO inapplicable and potentially damages nerves and vessels. When placing the screws, no information about the bone quality is available because the bone is not directly visible. In order to counteract the disadvantages, this project aims to build a X-Ray device that significantly increases soft-tissue contrast in 3D and at the same time reduces the patient's exposure to radiation. For these tasks, highly adapted software algorithms are developed to reconstruct the data in a reasonable amount of time. The measurement will allow a direct assessment of bone quality so that the placement of screws can be directed to areas with increased bone density. In order to increase the acceptance of the device, the procedure will be seamlessly integrated into existing treatment processes and workflows of hospitals and surgical centers.

• Federal Ministry of Education and Research under grant number BMBF 13GW0371C

• Hugo Rost & Co. GmbH, Kiel
• IMAGE Information Systems Europe GmbH, Rostock
• Department of Orthopedics and Trauma Surgery, University of Lübeck
• Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University of Lübeck