Point-and-click alignment for orthopedic external fixators
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for adjusting external fixators in orthopedic procedures are largely manual and prone to human error, lacking automation and relying on manual calculations and x-ray interpretations.
Innovation Solution
A point-and-click method using computer algorithms to extract alignment data from x-ray images, allowing surgeons to inscribe lines and points on a screen to calculate and implement necessary adjustments in ring positions for bone alignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual adjustment methods are used for external fixators, then the surgeon can directly manipulate the fixator, but human error increases and calculation precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical measurement and calculation methods with an automated computer vision system. The algorithm automatically detects ring positions, bone orientations, and calculates adjustment parameters from x-ray images, eliminating manual measurement errors and subjective visual estimation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces mechanical marker structures attached to the fixator rings as intermediaries. These markers provide clearly visible reference points in x-ray images, enabling the computer algorithm to accurately detect ring positions and orientations without relying on direct imaging of the rings themselves, thus improving measurement precision.
2Measurement precision
If automated adjustment systems are implemented, then calculation precision improves and human error reduces, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the adjustment system into separate functional modules: mechanical markers attached to rings, x-ray imaging system, computer vision algorithm for image processing, and control system for actuator operation. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently and simplifies the overall system architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates automated feedback loops where the computer algorithm continuously monitors ring positions and bone alignments through x-ray images, automatically calculates required adjustments, and controls actuators to implement corrections without requiring manual intervention for measurement or calculation tasks.
3Ease of operation
If manual calculations are performed for ring repositioning, then the surgeon maintains control over the process, but the process time increases and productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary automated calculations of optimal ring positions and adjustment parameters based on target alignment goals before actual adjustment execution. The computer algorithm pre-determines all necessary adjustment steps, allowing the surgeon to review and approve the plan without performing time-consuming manual calculations during the procedure.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements real-time feedback mechanisms where x-ray images are continuously captured, processed by the computer algorithm to monitor current alignment status, and compared against target positions. This feedback loop enables automatic recalculation of remaining adjustments needed, allowing the surgeon to make informed decisions with minimal time investment.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention is a point and click method for positioning an external fixator on a patient, in which a surgeon—using a computer mouse or similar device—inscribes lines or points on a computer screen displaying an x-ray or other photographic image of the bones of a patient together with two rings in position adjacent the bones. By inscribing lines on the computer screen, the underlying drawings program detects the x-y coordinates of any point on the screen when the user (the surgeon or other practitioner) clicks on it, and outputs the x-y coordinates of every point identified by the user including the two points defining any desired line. The practitioner thus can, using “point and click” operation, govern the repositioning of two fixator rings on the bones of a patient.