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. 2021 Nov 23;16(11):e0260471.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0260471. eCollection 2021.

Artificial intelligence in orthopaedics: A scoping review

Simon J Federer  1 , Gareth G Jones  1
Affiliations

Artificial intelligence in orthopaedics: A scoping review

Simon J Federer et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

There is a growing interest in the application of artificial intelligence (AI) to orthopaedic surgery. This review aims to identify and characterise research in this field, in order to understand the extent, range and nature of this work, and act as springboard to stimulate future studies. A scoping review, a form of structured evidence synthesis, was conducted to summarise the use of AI in orthopaedics. A literature search (1946-2019) identified 222 studies eligible for inclusion. These studies were predominantly small and retrospective. There has been significant growth in the number of papers published in the last three years, mainly from the USA (37%). The majority of research used AI for image interpretation (45%) or as a clinical decision tool (25%). Spine (43%), knee (23%) and hip (14%) were the regions of the body most commonly studied. The application of artificial intelligence to orthopaedics is growing. However, the scope of its use so far remains limited, both in terms of its possible clinical applications, and the sub-specialty areas of the body which have been studied. A standardized method of reporting AI studies would allow direct assessment and comparison. Prospective studies are required to validate AI tools for clinical use.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Literature search and study identification strategy.
PRISMA flow diagram showing the search strategy and number of included and excluded studies.
Fig 2
Fig 2. Publication count by orthopaedic area of interest.
A graph showing the number of papers published with regards to the area of the body.
Fig 3
Fig 3. Number of papers by year of publication and by country of origin.
A graph showing the number of papers published per year and by the country of origin. The five countries with the most publications are listed. Countries with fewer than 10 publications have been grouped into ‘Other’.
Fig 4
Fig 4. Number of papers by country of origin.
A graph showing the number of papers published by the country of origin of the first author.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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