Surgical Implant Design Optimizing Anchoring Element Orientation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current surgical implants for bone fixation do not adequately consider individual patient-specific bone quality parameters such as density, microarchitecture, and loading conditions, leading to suboptimal design and increased failure rates.
Innovation Solution
A method for designing and manufacturing surgical implants that categorizes patients based on bone quality and loading patterns, using high-resolution CT scans to optimize the placement and direction of anchoring elements, minimizing stress accumulation and enhancing fixation stability by identifying high and low-quality bone volumes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If implants are designed based on fracture typology and general anatomical parameters, then manufacturing complexity is reduced and production is simplified, but the ability to address individual patient-specific bone quality requirements deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the patient population into distinct categories based on bone quality parameters (density, microarchitecture, cortex/spongiosa ratio). Each segment receives a tailored implant design, allowing the system to maintain manufacturing simplicity for each category while achieving patient-specific adaptability through categorical differentiation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by optimizing implant parameters specifically for each bone quality category. Different implant designs are created with optimized anchoring element characteristics, bone contact surfaces, and structural properties matched to the specific bone quality requirements of each patient category.
2Reliability
If more bone quality parameters are considered in implant design, then fixation reliability improves, but design complexity and development time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent manages design complexity by segmenting the design process into discrete category-specific designs. Rather than creating a single complex implant that must accommodate all bone quality variations, the system divides patients into categories and designs optimized implants for each category, reducing overall design complexity while maintaining high reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent systematically varies key implant parameters (anchoring element geometry, bone contact surface characteristics, structural dimensions) across different design categories based on bone quality parameters. This parameter optimization approach improves fixation reliability for each category while keeping the design process manageable through systematic variation rather than comprehensive customization.
3Reliability
If patient categorization based on bone quality is implemented, then treatment effectiveness improves, but measurement and assessment requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex manual assessment methods with automated image processing techniques. High-resolution CT scans are processed using computational algorithms that automatically extract bone quality parameters (density, microarchitecture, cortex/spongiosa ratio), substituting manual measurement with digital analysis to reduce assessment difficulty while maintaining comprehensive evaluation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates digital copies of patient bone structures from CT scan data. These virtual models serve as templates for determining appropriate implant categories and designs, eliminating the need for complex physical measurements and assessments while enabling precise customization based on each patient's unique bone anatomy and quality characteristics.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for designing and/or optimizing an implant that has one or more through holes with a central axis for receiving a bone fixation element. The method includes: providing a general collection of three-dimensional bone quality data obtained from a patient population; identifying in the patient population N>2 categories of patients with significantly different N>2 homologous sub-collections of bone quality data; and designing an implant or optimizing an existing implant for each of the N>2 sub-collections such that the at least one through hole is located at an optimal place and with an optimal direction of the central axis relative to the implant. The optimal position and direction is chosen based on each of the N>2 sub-collections of data so as to obtain an optimal anchorage of the bone fixation element in the bone when introduced through the through hole.