Computer-assisted orthopaedic surgery : state of the art and prospects

Since 2007, Stéphane Lavallée has been co-founder of several fast-growing companies in the field of computer-assisted surgery (orthopedics, arthroscopy, traumatology, spine, interventional radiology, dentistry, urology). This network of companies positioned in highly specialized market segments is supported by national and international institutional, clinical and industrial partners. This rapid development is the fruit of a vision focused on creating easy-to-use products with high clinical added value, for the benefit of patients and practitioners alike. This success stems not only from his experience as CEO of PRAXIM between 1998 and 2007 (40 people, €5m revenues, +200 navigation stations sold in F, D, BNL, I, UK and USA, numerous alliances, acquisition of Medivision, 1st European Innovation Prize IST 2005 €200k), but also from a career as a scientist from 1986 to 1998, which gave him a solid foundation (Ingénieur Sup Telecom Bretagne 1986, DEA Univ. Rennes Traitement Signal 1986, PhD TIMC-UJF 1989 "Méthodologie des Gestes Médico-Chirurgicaux Assistés par Ordinateur, Application à la Neurochirurgie Stéréotaxique Robotisée", Post-Doctorate at DEC's Cambridge Research Lab (USA), HDR UJF 1998, realization of several works leading to world firsts. Stéphane Lavallée has received numerous awards: CNRS Bronze Medal (Grenoble, 1994), CAOS Maurice Muller Award (Heidelberg, 2005), Prix de l'Académie de chirurgie (Paris, 2011). He is co-author of over 100 scientific publications and more than 40 patents. State of the art and prospects in computer-assisted orthopedic surgery: Inherited from early work in stereotactic neurosurgery, computer-assisted orthopedic surgery was born in the early 90s and rapidly spread to a wide range of surgical indications: pedicle targeting of the spine, total knee replacement, anterior cruciate ligament, hip replacement, femoral and tibial nailing, shoulder replacement. Our constantly evolving technologies range from surgical navigation to haptic robotics and specific patient guides. On the industrial front, the majority of implant manufacturers have invested in this field, alongside hyper-specialized companies; numerous products have thus been deployed, notably in Germany, France and the USA. Clinical results to date have been very positive. However, mass adoption has yet to materialize, firstly for ergonomic reasons, as current systems are considered too complex, but also and above all for economic reasons. A new wave of products is on the way to resolving these two difficulties, bringing undeniable benefits to patients in terms of reduced invasiveness, shorter operating times, greater precision and reliability, reduced morbidity, longer implant life, and so on.