After a fracture of the distal radius, the bone segments may heal in a suboptimal position. This condition may lead to a reduced hand function, pain and finally osteoarthritis, sometimes requiring corrective surgery. The contralateral unaffected radius is often used as a reference in planning of a corrective osteotomy procedure of a malunited distal radius. In the conventional procedure, radiographs of both the affected radius and the contralateral radius have been used for planning. The 2D nature of radiographs renders them sub-optimal for planning due to overprojection of anatomical structures. Therefore, computer-assisted 3D planning techniques have been developed recently based on CT images of both forearms. The accuracy of using the contralateral forearm for CT based 3D planning the surgery of the affected arm and the optimal strategy for planning have not been studied thoroughly. To estimate the accuracy of the planned repositioning using the contralateral forearm we investigated bilateral symmetry of corresponding radii and ulnae using 3-dimensional imaging techniques. A total of 20 healthy volunteers without previous wrist injury underwent a volumetric computed tomography scan of both forearms. The left radius and ulna were segmented to create virtual 3 dimensional models of these bones. We selected a distal part and a larger proximal part from these bones and matched them with a mirrored CT-image of the contralateral side. This allowed estimation of the accuracy by calculation of relative displacements (Δx, Δy, Δz) and rotations (Δψx, Δψy, Δψz) required to align the left bone with the right bone segments as a reference. We also investigated the relationship between longitudinal length differences in radius and ulna and utilised this relationship to arrive at an optimal planning of the length of the affected radius after surgery. Relative differences in displacement and orientation parameters after planning based on the contralateral radius were (Δx, Δy, Δz): −0.81±1.22 mm, −0.01±0.64 mm, and 2.63±2.03 mm; and (Δψx, Δψy, Δψz): 0.13°±1.00°, −0.60°±1.35°, and 0.53°±5.00°. The same parameters for the ulna were (Δx,Δy, Δz): −0.22±0.82 mm, 0.52±0.99 mm, 2.08±2.33 mm; and (Δψx, Δψy, Δψz): −0.56°±0.96°, −0.71°±1.51°, and −2.61°±5.58°. The results also point out that there is a strong linear relationship between absolute length differences (Δz) of the radius and ulna among the individuals. Since we observed substantial length difference of the longitudinal bone axes of both forearms in healthy individuals, including the length difference of the adjacent forearm bones in the planning turned out to be useful in improving length correction in computer-assisted planning of radius or ulna osteotomies. The improved planning markedly reduces length positioning variability, (from 2.9± 2.1 mm to 1.5 ± 0.6 mm). We expect this approach to be valuable for 3-D planning of a corrective distal radius osteotomy. Awareness of the level of bilateral symmetry is important in reconstructive surgery procedures when the contralateral unaffected side is used as a reference for planning and evaluation. Bilateral asymmetry may introduce length errors into this type of preoperative planning that can be reduced by taking into account the concomitant ulnae asymmetry.
