Virtual Bone Resection Planning With Complexity-Benefit Scoring

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing bone resection plans in orthopedic surgery often prioritize surgeon experience and bone preservation without considering other important factors, leading to suboptimal plans that may result in necrosis or structural failure and require complicated revision procedures.

Innovation Solution

A computer-implemented method generates a virtual bone model and applies multiple resection plans, scoring each based on complexity and benefit factors to select an optimal plan, considering factors like biomechanics, implant fixation, and patient quality of life.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If traditional resection plans based on surgeon experience are used, then ease of operation is maintained, but manufacturing precision and optimal bone preservation are compromised

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveresection plan precisionVSAvoidscoring system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent creates a virtual copy of the bone and resection plans in a digital environment. Multiple resection plans are simulated virtually before actual surgery, allowing precise evaluation of bone removal without physical trial and error. This virtual modeling enables accurate prediction of resection outcomes while maintaining surgical workflow efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

Solution Approach 2:

The scoring system performs preliminary evaluation of multiple resection plans before the actual surgical procedure. By calculating complexity scores, benefit scores, and optimal plans in advance using computational algorithms, the system prepares the best resection strategy beforehand, reducing intraoperative decision-making complexity and improving precision.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If more bone is removed to ensure complete disease removal, then reliability of disease removal is improved, but bone preservation deteriorates leading to necrosis risk

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedisease removal reliabilityVSAvoidbone loss
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent evaluates multiple resection plans with varying parameters of bone removal. The scoring system adjusts parameters such as resection volume, location, and geometry to find the optimal balance between complete disease removal and bone preservation. By changing these parameters across multiple simulated plans, the system identifies the minimum necessary bone removal that ensures reliable disease removal while preserving critical bone structure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The scoring system provides feedback on the consequences of different resection extents. Each virtual resection plan is evaluated for its impact on bone viability, structural integrity, and disease removal completeness. This feedback mechanism allows the system to iteratively optimize the resection plan to achieve reliable disease removal with minimal bone loss.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

3Manufacturing precision

If multiple resection plans are evaluated with comprehensive scoring, then optimal plan selection is improved, but computational complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveplan selection accuracyVSAvoidcomputational complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The evaluation process is segmented into distinct scoring components: complexity scoring, benefit scoring, and optimal plan determination. Each aspect is calculated separately using specialized algorithms, allowing the system to manage computational complexity by breaking down the overall evaluation into manageable segments rather than attempting to evaluate all factors simultaneously.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentEP4245242B1Bone resection scoring and planning
Publication Date: 2026.03.25 STRYKER AUSTRALIA PTY LTD
  • EP4245242B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4245242B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4245242B1 patent drawingFigure 3~5

AI summary

A method of selecting a bone resection plan includes generating a virtual bone model from a medical image taken of a bone and applying a plurality of resection plans to the virtual bone model each having at least one virtual control boundary and having at least one complexity factor and at least one benefit factor associated therewith. The complexity factor and the benefit factor are determined in the background of a resection planning application. The method also includes determining a complexity score for each of the resection plans based on the at least one complexity factor and determining a benefit score for each of the resection plans based on the at least one benefit factor. An optimal resection plant is selected from the plurality of resection plans based on the complexity and benefit scores of the plurality of resection plans for execution in the surgical procedure.