Intraoperative Image Analysis for Hip Arthroplasty
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing preoperative and intraoperative analysis techniques for hip arthroplasty do not automatically account for femoral abduction, leading to suboptimal surgical outcomes due to potential inaccuracies in leg length and offset analysis.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that uses image overlay techniques to align and correct for differences in femoral positioning by overlaying preoperative and intraoperative images, allowing for accurate calculation of leg length and offset adjustments during surgery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If manual manipulation of images is used to account for differences in femoral positioning, then analysis accuracy can be improved, but time consumption and operational complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical manipulation of images with an automated computer-based system that performs image overlay, alignment, and measurement calculations automatically. The system uses software algorithms to detect anatomical landmarks, align images based on pelvic references, and compute leg length and offset measurements without requiring manual image manipulation by the surgeon or assistant.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs self-alignment and self-measurement by automatically detecting anatomical features in the radiographic images and computing the necessary measurements. The computer-based system independently carries out the image processing and analysis tasks that would otherwise require manual intervention, making the system self-sufficient for the measurement process.
2Reliability
If consistent positioning of the femur relative to the pelvis is required for image overlay, then measurement reliability improves, but ease of operation deteriorates due to positioning constraints
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of requiring the femur to be positioned consistently relative to the pelvis for accurate measurement, the patent inverts the approach by using the pelvis as a fixed reference frame and allowing the femur to be in any position. The system automatically compensates for femoral positioning variations by detecting anatomical landmarks and performing geometric transformations to calculate accurate leg length and offset measurements regardless of femoral orientation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the reference parameters from femoral position to pelvic position, using stable pelvic anatomical landmarks as the basis for image alignment and measurement. By shifting the reference frame from the movable femur to the relatively stable pelvis, the system can accommodate variations in femoral positioning while maintaining measurement reliability through automated landmark detection and geometric correction.
Data Source
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AI summary
A system and method that acquire (i) at least a reference image including one of a preoperative image of a surgical site with skeletal and articulating bones and a contralateral image on an opposite side of the patient from the surgical site, and (ii) at least a target image such as an intraoperative image of the site after an implant has been affixed to the articulating bone. The system generates at least one reference landmark point on at least one anatomical feature on the articulating bone in the reference image and at least one target landmark point on that anatomical feature in the target image. The reference and target images are compared, and differences between the orientation of the articulating bone in the two images are utilized to analyze at least one of offset and length differential.