Patient-Specific Milling Paths for Bone-Constrained Resection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional milling path generation techniques in surgical systems are inefficient, leading to increased path length and runtime, failure to constrain milling to hard tissue, removal of excess material, and limited flexibility for intra-operative adjustments, resulting in suboptimal implant placement and potential tissue damage.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method for generating a milling path that defines a reference guide and sections intersecting it, with transition segments connecting these sections, allowing for patient-specific, efficient removal of resection volumes while avoiding soft tissue and enabling intra-operative adjustments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional implant-specific worst case milling paths are used, then the resection volume is sufficient for implant insertion, but the path length and milling time are increased
Solution Approach 1:
The method performs preliminary identification of the implant-bone interface location before generating the milling path. By knowing the precise interface location in advance, the system can calculate an optimized resection volume that is exactly sufficient for implant insertion without requiring worst-case over-resection, thereby reducing path length and milling time while maintaining reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the parameter of resection volume calculation from a fixed worst-case value to a dynamic value based on the actual implant-bone interface location. This parameter change allows the milling path to be optimized for the specific patient anatomy and implant placement, reducing unnecessary path length and milling time
2Reliability
If conventional implant-specific worst case milling paths are used, then the resection volume accommodates implant placement, but excess material and surrounding tissue are removed
Solution Approach 1:
The system preliminarily identifies the exact implant-bone interface location before milling. This preliminary knowledge allows calculation of a precise resection volume that stops exactly at the interface, preventing removal of excess bone and surrounding soft tissue while still accommodating the implant placement
Solution Approach 2:
The invention applies local quality by making the resection volume specific to the local implant-bone interface geometry rather than using a uniform worst-case resection. The resection volume is tailored to the specific anatomical location and implant type, removing only the necessary material while preserving surrounding healthy tissue
3Productivity
If pre-operative milling path generation is used, then the path is planned in advance, but flexibility for intra-operative adjustments is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements dynamics by enabling real-time recalculation of the resection volume and milling path based on intra-operative measurements of the actual implant-bone interface location. The path is no longer static but can be dynamically adjusted during surgery to accommodate changes in implant placement or anatomical variations discovered during the procedure
Solution Approach 2:
The invention incorporates feedback by using intra-operative measurement data of the implant-bone interface to recalculate and adjust the milling path. The system continuously compares the planned path with actual anatomical conditions and modifies the path accordingly, providing both pre-operative planning efficiency and intra-operative adaptability
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, methods, software and techniques for generating a milling path for a tool of a surgical system are provided. The milling path is designed to remove a resection volume associated with an anatomical volume. A reference guide is defined with respect to the resection volume. Sections are defined along the reference guide in succession. Each section intersects the reference guide at a different intersection point and is at a specified orientation relative to the reference guide at the intersection point. Each section further intersects the resection volume. A section path is generated to be bounded within each section and defined relative to the resection volume. A plurality of transition segments are generated and each transition segment connects section paths of successive sections along the reference guide.