Patient-Specific Implant Modeling From STL Trace Lines and Screw Holes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current patient-specific implant (PSI) design practices are time-consuming and require advanced engineering skills, leading to inefficiencies and potential miscommunication between surgeons and engineers during the CAD process for jaw resection and reconstruction.
Innovation Solution
A novel algorithm streamlines the CAD process by automating steps such as trace line processing, generating and transforming rectangles, and incorporating screw holes, using cubic-spline data interpolation and smoothing techniques to create a patient-specific implant model.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If manual CAD commands and Boolean operations are used to model patient-specific implants, then design flexibility and customization are achieved, but the design process becomes time-consuming and requires advanced engineering skills
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables surgeons to directly create and modify implant designs using intuitive sketching tools without requiring engineering intermediaries. The automated algorithms process the surgeon's sketches and generate complete implant models, allowing the end-user (surgeon) to perform the entire design process independently.
Solution Approach 2:
Traditional manual CAD operations and Boolean manipulations are replaced with automated algorithms that process sketch data and generate implant models programmatically. This substitution eliminates time-consuming manual modeling steps while preserving design flexibility.
2Manufacturing precision
If manual CAD operations are used for implant design, then design control and precision are maintained, but the process requires advanced engineering skills and creates communication barriers between surgeons and engineers
Solution Approach 1:
An automated algorithmic system serves as an intermediary between the surgeon's simple sketches and the complex implant geometry. The system translates intuitive user input into precise engineering models, eliminating the need for surgeons to master complex CAD operations while maintaining design precision.
Solution Approach 2:
Complex manual CAD operations are replaced with automated algorithms that handle the computational complexity. The system automatically performs operations such as surface generation, thickness modeling, and geometry refinement, reducing the skill barrier while maintaining precision.
3Reliability
If iterative design discussions between surgeons and engineers are conducted, then design quality and clinical suitability are improved, but the process becomes prone to miscommunication and increases time consumption
Solution Approach 1:
Surgeons can independently iterate and refine implant designs by directly modifying sketches and observing updated models in real-time. This eliminates the need for back-and-forth communication with engineers while maintaining design quality through immediate visual feedback and validation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides real-time feedback as surgeons create and modify sketches, automatically updating the implant model and displaying results immediately. This continuous feedback loop enables quality control without requiring external review, reducing communication time while maintaining reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for forming a patient-specific implant (PSI) part for application to a resected body part to form a reconstructed part involves utilizing a StereoLithography (STL) model of the reconstructed part with trace lines and the location of screw holes for screws to fasten the PSI to the resected body part in forming the reconstructed part. The trace lines are processed using cubic-spline data interpolation and smoothing, followed by the generation and transformation of rectangles to create a skeleton that forms the implant's surface model. The screw holes are added to the model after the trace lines are processed. Next, the model is converted into an STL file, which is made available for forming implant material into the PSI.