Systems, devices, and methods for designing and forming a surgical implant
AssigneeNuVasive, Inc.
InventorRobert E. Isaacs
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method is provided for determining the shape of a surgical linking device that is to be attached to a bony body structure such as the spinal column based on digitized locations of a plurality of attachment elements engaged to the bony structure. The method is implemented by a computer system through a GUI to generate an initial bend curve to mate with the plurality of attachment elements. The initial bend curve may be simplified based on user input to the GUI to reduce the number of bends necessary to produce a well-fitting linking device and may be altered to help obtain the goals of surgery.
Claims20
A method for shaping a surgical linking device comprising:
- (a) generating a bend curve having a plurality of bend points along the length of the surgical linking device, wherein the bend curve is based on data for a location of at least one attachment element;
- and
- (b) generating bending instructions for bends to be performed on the linking device by a bending tool at each of the bend points.
A method for shaping a surgical linking device comprising:
- (a) providing digitized data for a location of at least one attachment element;
- (b) developing a curve function to approximate a desired location of the at least one attachment element;
- (d) calculating a location of the linking device shaped according to the curve function at the desired location of the at least one attachment element;
- (e) generating a bend curve having at least one bend point along the length of the linking device using the curve function, wherein the bend curve is based on the digitized data for the location of the at least one attachment element;
- and
- (f) generating bending instructions for at least one bend to be performed on the linking device by a bending tool at the at least one bend point.
A method for shaping a surgical linking device comprising:
- (a) generating a bend curve having at least one bend point along the length of the linking device, wherein the bend curve is based on a desired location of at least one attachment element;
- and
- (b) generating bending instructions for bends to be performed on the linking device by a bending tool at each of the at least one bend point.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.