Tibia Cut Plane Calculation from 2D Images for TKA Jigs
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cutting jigs used in Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA) procedures are often complex, inaccurate, time-consuming, and expensive to generate, posing challenges in achieving precise alignment and orientation of cut planes during knee replacement surgeries.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that utilize two-dimensional (2D) images of a patient's knee to determine a best fit plane and calculate a cut plane for a tibia cutting jig, allowing for the generation of a customized cutting jig without requiring a 3D model, thereby improving accuracy and reducing the complexity and cost of the jig creation process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional cutting jigs are used for TKA procedures, then the procedure can be performed, but the jigs are complex, inaccurate, time-consuming, and expensive to generate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses 2D images (X-rays or other imaging) as copies of the patient's knee anatomy to determine cut plane geometry. Instead of creating complex 3D physical models or jigs, the system creates a simplified 2D representation from images, which is then used to calculate the precise cut plane. This copying approach reduces complexity while maintaining accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical process of creating physical cutting jigs with a computational system. The system uses image processing algorithms and mathematical calculations to determine cut plane geometry, substituting mechanical jig fabrication with digital computation and planning, thereby reducing complexity and time requirements.
2Manufacturing precision
If conventional cutting jigs are used for TKA procedures, then the procedure can be performed, but the jigs are time-consuming to generate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary actions by pre-processing the 2D images to identify anatomical landmarks and determine the geometry of the cut plane before the actual surgery. This preliminary computational work is done in advance using image data, eliminating the need for time-consuming physical jig fabrication during the surgical procedure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces time-consuming mechanical jig fabrication with rapid digital computation. The system processes 2D images through algorithms that quickly calculate the required cut plane geometry, reducing jig generation time from days or weeks to minutes while maintaining or improving accuracy.
3Manufacturing precision
If conventional cutting jigs are used for TKA procedures, then the procedure can be performed, but the jigs are expensive to generate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses inexpensive 2D images (such as standard X-rays already available in the medical record) as the basis for determining cut plane geometry. Instead of requiring expensive 3D imaging, physical casting, or custom manufacturing, the system uses readily available 2D images to create the necessary planning data, significantly reducing production costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces expensive mechanical jig fabrication with low-cost digital processing. The system uses software algorithms to process 2D images and calculate cut plane geometry, eliminating the need for expensive materials, tooling, and manufacturing processes associated with physical cutting jigs, thereby reducing costs while maintaining or improving precision.
4Manufacturing precision
If 3D models are used to determine cut planes, then accuracy is improved, but the process becomes more complex and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential information needed for cut plane determination from 2D images without requiring full 3D modeling. By identifying and extracting key anatomical landmarks and geometric relationships from 2D projections, the system achieves sufficient accuracy for surgical planning while avoiding the complexity and cost of complete 3D reconstruction.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent works in 2D space rather than 3D space. By solving the cut plane geometry problem in two dimensions using 2D image data and projection mathematics, the system achieves the necessary accuracy without the computational complexity and data requirements of 3D modeling, effectively reducing the dimensionality of the problem while maintaining clinical utility.
Data Source
AI summary
Aspects of the present disclosure involve systems, methods, computer program products, and the like, for utilizing a series of images of a patient's anatomy to determine a cut plane for use during a knee procedure. To determine a cut plane for use during a knee replacement procedure, the 2D images may be analyzed by a computer program to determine a best fit plane through one or more points along the proximal surface of the tibia and to determine one or more features of depressions within the proximal surface. With these landmarks identified in the images, a cut plane through the tibia for use during a TKA procedure may be determined. Further, the location of these features in the images may be determined by analyzing the gray scale value of one or more pixels around a selected point on the image. The pixel with the lowest gray scale value may then be assumed to be the edge of the cortical bone in the 2D image.