Method and apparatus for manufacturing an implant
AssigneeBiomet Manufacturing, LLC
InventorsNathan Emick Belcher, Robert Metzger
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An orthopedic implant manufacturing method. The method includes preparing a pre-operative surgical plan for a specific patient, the surgical plan including a three-dimensional image of a patient's joint indicating at least one resection plane, communicating the surgical plan to a surgeon of the patient, and receiving approval of the surgical plan and the resection plane by the surgeon. The method also includes providing automated osteophyte/protrusion removal control for surgeon manipulation, receiving a modified three-dimensional image of a patient's joint indicating an osteophyte/protrusion removal and a recommendation for a corresponding selected orthopedic implant from the surgeon, and requesting manufacture of the selected orthopedic implant.
Claims20
A computer-aided surgical planning and orthopedic implant preparation method comprising:
- obtaining digital medical imaging files of a patient;
- generating a pre-operative surgical plan for a specific patient, the surgical plan including a digital three-dimensional model of the patient's joint generated from the digital medical imaging files;
- marking at least one resection plane of the joint in the digital three-dimensional model;
- rendering the digital three-dimensional model on a display screen of a computer device for viewing by an operator;
- identifying a surface irregularity in the digital three-dimensional model of the patient's joint proximate the resection plane by the operator using a graphical user interface of the computer device;
- utilizing an automated irregularity removal control module of the computer device to digitally remove a portion of the surface irregularity from the digital three-dimensional model of the patient's joint by the operator using the graphical user interface;
- generating a modified digital three-dimensional model of the patient's joint indicating an irregularity removal relative to the at least one resection plane;
- selecting an orthopedic implant corresponding to the modified digital three-dimensional computer model of the patient's joint, such that the selected orthopedic implant mates flush with the at least one resection plane where the portion of the surface irregularity was removed;
- generating a surgical plan including the selected orthopedic implant;
- and
- storing the surgical plan in a computer readable storage medium.
An orthopedic implant selecting method using a computer planning system, the method comprising:
- generating pre-operatively a computer model of a patient's joint from imaging information obtained from the patient;
- generating a preliminary resection plane on a bone of the joint in the computer model in an electronic screen of a computer device;
- receiving an input from a graphical removal tool of the computer planning system with a user interface of the computer device to identify a surface protrusion on the bone of the joint in the computer model that intersects the preliminary resection plane;
- modifying the computer model with the user interface to remove at least a portion of the surface protrusion from the bone;
- selecting with the user interface one of first, second or third options for an orthopedic implant to mate with the preliminary resection plane of the bone where the at least a portion of the surface protrusion was removed, the first option being a patient-specific implant, the second option being a semi-custom implant, and the third option being an off-the-shelf implant;
- generating a surgical plan with the computer device, the surgical plan including the selected option for the orthopedic implant;
- storing the surgical plan in a computer readable storage medium of the computer device;
- and
- storing design parameters for manufacturing the selected option for the orthopedic implant in the computer readable storage medium.
A computer-aided method for remotely selecting an orthopedic implant, the method comprising:
- generating a computer file having a preliminary pre-operative surgical plan for a specific patient using a computing system at a first location, the preliminary pre-operative surgical plan including a digital model of a joint of the specific patient;
- electronically communicating the computer file having the preliminary pre-operative surgical plan to a computer device of a surgeon of the patient located at a second location;
- receiving a modified computer file having a modified pre-operative surgical plan from the surgeon using the computing system, the modified pre-operative surgical plan comprising:
- a modified digital model of the joint of the specific patient having a modification comprising at least one of a resection plane and a surface protrusion modification that leaves a portion of the surface protrusion adjacent the resection plane;
- and
- a surgeon-selected orthopedic implant to fit with the modification;
- and
- storing the modified computer file having the modified pre-operative surgical plan in a computer readable storage medium of the computing system.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.