Mixed Reality Screw Trajectory Guidance for Orthopedic Surgery
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current surgical procedures face challenges in accurately inserting screws into bones due to the risk of incorrect angles leading to complications, especially when attaching orthopedic prostheses, as existing methods lack effective guidance for ensuring screws are inserted into areas of high bone quality.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of mixed reality (MR)-based surgical guidance systems that provide virtual trajectory guides and bone quality maps, allowing surgeons to visualize potential insertion axes and bone quality through MR visualization devices, enabling precise alignment and insertion of screws into high-quality bone areas.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If traditional surgical guidance methods are used, then the surgical procedure can be performed, but the accuracy of screw insertion angle and trajectory cannot be ensured, leading to potential complications
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a virtual copy of the patient's bone anatomy through 3D imaging and rendering, allowing surgeons to plan and visualize screw trajectories in a virtual model before actual surgery. This virtual replica enables precise measurement and guidance of insertion angles and depths without risking errors in the actual bone structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces mixed reality visualization as an intermediary between the surgical plan and the actual surgical execution. The MR system overlays virtual trajectory guides and bone quality maps onto the real surgical field, serving as a mediator that translates preoperative planning into intraoperative guidance, ensuring accurate screw insertion while maintaining surgical flexibility.
2Measurement precision
If surgeons rely on visual estimation and manual measurement, then the surgical procedure is straightforward, but the precision of trajectory alignment and bone quality assessment is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical measurement tools and visual estimation with an automated computer vision and image processing system. The MR visualization device automatically calculates trajectory angles, measures bone quality density, and renders virtual guides based on 3D imaging data, eliminating the need for manual protractors, rulers, and subjective visual assessment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms physical bone properties (density, texture, structural integrity) into visual parameters displayed in the MR interface. Bone quality is represented through color-coded maps and density gradients, while trajectory parameters are shown as virtual lines with measurable angles and depths, allowing surgeons to assess multiple parameters simultaneously without complex manual measurements.
3Reliability
If no real-time feedback on bone quality is provided, then the surgical workflow remains simple, but the risk of inserting screws into poor-quality bone increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses color-coded bone quality maps to visually encode bone density and structural quality information. Different colors represent different bone quality levels (e.g., green for high quality, yellow for moderate, red for poor quality), allowing surgeons to quickly identify optimal screw insertion sites and avoid weak bone areas without complex numerical analysis or additional testing.
4Manufacturing precision
If multiple potential insertion points need to be evaluated, then the best trajectory can be selected, but the time required for planning and assessment increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs comprehensive surgical planning and trajectory evaluation in advance, creating a virtual surgical model with multiple potential screw paths pre-calculated and displayed. During the actual surgery, the MR system presents these pre-planned options with their respective bone quality assessments, allowing surgeons to make quick decisions without performing time-consuming intraoperative measurements or trial insertions.
Data Source
AI summary
A method comprises determining, by a surgical assistance system, a potential insertion point on a surface of a bone of a patient; and presenting, by a Mixed Reality (MR) visualization device of the surgical assistance system, an MR scene that includes a virtual trajectory guide, wherein: the virtual trajectory guide comprises an elliptical surface, and for each location of a plurality of locations on the elliptical surface: the location corresponds to a potential insertion axis that passes through the location and the potential insertion point on the surface of the bone, and the location is visually distinguished based on a quality of a portion of the bone along the potential insertion axis corresponding to the location.