Pre-shaped Bone Plates Using Segmented Size Models
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional surgical bone plates require intraoperative bending, which can complicate surgeries and expose patients to radiation for personalized fitting, making the process costly and time-consuming.
Innovation Solution
A method for designing and manufacturing anatomically pre-shaped, surgeon-specific bone plates using virtual bone models and mean models from a population database, allowing for minor intraoperative adjustments to achieve a proper fit without the need for patient-specific imaging.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If patient-specific plates are pre-operatively manufactured to fit individual anatomy, then plate fit precision is improved, but manufacturing cost and time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the patient population into different size categories (small, medium, large) based on bone dimensions. Instead of creating fully custom plates for each patient, the system divides the population into groups and assigns standardized plate sizes to each group, reducing manufacturing complexity while maintaining adequate fit for the majority of patients.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the design parameters of standard plates by offering multiple size variants (small, medium, large) with different dimensions and hole configurations. This allows selection of the most appropriate standard size for each patient without requiring fully custom manufacturing, thereby reducing production time and cost while maintaining acceptable fit precision.
2Ease of manufacture
If conventional stock plates are used with general anatomy shaping, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but intraoperative manipulation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention makes the plate selection process dynamic by providing multiple size options (small, medium, large) that can be selected based on preoperative measurement of patient anatomy. This allows the system to adapt to different patient sizes without requiring intraoperative bending or customization, reducing surgical complexity while maintaining manufacturing efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention performs preliminary sizing and selection of the appropriate plate variant before surgery. By measuring patient anatomy preoperatively and selecting the most suitable standard plate size in advance, the system eliminates the need for intraoperative plate manipulation and customization, thereby reducing surgical complexity and time.
3Manufacturing precision
If patient-specific CT scans are performed for plate customization, then plate fit precision is improved, but patient radiation exposure increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces expensive and potentially harmful patient-specific CT scanning with simpler, lower-cost measurement methods such as physical measurement devices or standardized anthropometric data. This approach achieves adequate plate fit precision without exposing patients to unnecessary radiation from repeated CT scans, particularly for patients who may require multiple surgical procedures.
4Adaptability or versatility
If intraoperative plate bending is performed to achieve proper fit, then plate adaptability is improved, but surgical time and complication risk increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention performs the adaptation process preliminarily by providing multiple pre-designed plate variants in different sizes (small, medium, large) that are optimized for different patient anatomies. The appropriate variant is selected before surgery based on preoperative measurements, eliminating the need for intraoperative plate bending and reducing surgical time and complication risks.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of designing a set of contoured implants for fixation to a bone of a patient, includes obtaining a set of virtual bone models of the bone, selecting a plurality of points on an outer surface of each virtual bone model in the set of virtual bone models, manufacturing a set of implants, each implant corresponding to a respective virtual bone model and having fixation holes corresponding to the selected plurality of points on the outer surface of the respective virtual bone model, contouring each implant in the set of implants and selecting a contoured implant from the set of implants for fixation to the bone of the patient such that the selected contoured implant corresponds to a size of the bone of the patient.