Systems and Methods for Intra-Operative Image Analysis

A system to analyze images at a surgical site within a patient, the surgical site including at least a first, skeletal bone and a second, articulating bone that articulates with the skeletal bone at a joint, the system including a memory, a user interface including a display capable of providing at least visual guidance to a user of the system, and a processor, with the processor executing a program performing the steps of:

• acquiring (i) at least one digitized reference image including one of a preoperative image of the surgical site and a contralateral image on an opposite side of the patient from the surgical site, and (ii) at least one digitized intraoperative image of the site after an implant has been affixed to the articulating bone, the implant having at least a skeletal component with a first center of rotation and an articulating bone component having a second center of rotation, the first and second centers of rotation being co-located in the intraoperative image;
• generating at least one reference stationary point on at least the skeletal bone in the reference image and at least one intraoperative stationary point on at least the skeletal bone in the intraoperative image;
• identifying the location of the implant in the intraoperative image, including the position of the first and second centers of rotation, and aligning (i) at least a first digital implant representation with the skeletal component and with at least the intraoperative stationary point, and (ii) at least a second digital implant representation with the articulating bone component and at least one point on the articulating bone;
• copying the first and second digital representations and positioning them in the reference image in an equivalent location relative to at least the reference stationary point and the articulating bone to determine the position of the first and second centers of rotation relative to each other in the reference image;
• and
• utilizing any differences between the locations of the first and second centers of rotation in the reference image to analyze at least one of offset and length differential of at least one of the articulating bone and the implant in the intraoperative image.

A method for analyzing images to optimize the restoration of orthopedic functionality at a surgical site within a patient, the surgical site including at least a first, skeletal bone and a second, articulating bone that articulates with the skeletal bone at a joint, the method comprising:

• acquiring (i) at least one reference image including one of a preoperative image of the surgical site and a contralateral image on an opposite side of the patient from the surgical site, and (ii) at least one intraoperative image of the site after an implant has been affixed to the articulating bone, the implant having at least a skeletal component with a first center of rotation and an articulating bone component having a second center of rotation, the first and second centers of rotation being co-located in the intraoperative image;
• generating at least one reference stationary point on at least the skeletal bone in the reference image and at least one intraoperative stationary point on at least the skeletal bone in the intraoperative image;
• identifying the location of the implant in the intraoperative image, including the position of the first and second centers of rotation, and aligning at least one of (i) at least a first digital implant representation with the skeletal component and with at least the intraoperative stationary point, and (ii) at least a second digital implant representation with the articulating bone component and at least one point on the articulating bone;
• copying at least one of the first and second digital representations and positioning them in the reference image in an equivalent location relative to at least one of (A) the reference stationary point and (B) the articulating bone, respectively, to determine the position of at least one of the first and second centers of rotation relative to each other in the reference image;
• and
• utilizing any differences between the locations of at least one of the first and second centers of rotation in the reference image to analyze at least one of offset and length differential of at least one of the articulating bone and the implant in the intraoperative image.

A system to analyze images at a surgical site within a patient, the surgical site including at least a first, skeletal bone and a second, articulating bone that articulates with the skeletal bone at a joint, the system comprising:

• an image selection module capable of acquiring (i) at least one digitized reference image including one of a preoperative image of the surgical site and a contralateral image on an opposite side of the patient from the surgical site, and (ii) at least one digitized intraoperative image of the site after an implant has been affixed to the articulating bone, the implant having at least a skeletal component with a first center of rotation and an articulating bone component having a second center of rotation, the first and second centers of rotation being co-located in the intraoperative image;
• a templating module capable of (a) identifying the location of the implant in the intraoperative image and aligning at least one of (i) at least a first digital implant representation with the skeletal component and with at least one intraoperative stationary point on at least the skeletal bone, and (ii) at least a second digital implant representation with the articulating bone component and at least one point on the articulating bone, and (b) copying at least one of the first and second digital representations and positioning them in the reference image in an equivalent location relative to at least one of (A) a reference stationary point on at least the skeletal bone and (B) the articulating bone, respectively, in the reference image;
• an analysis module capable of utilizing any differences between the locations of at least one of the first and second digital implant representations in the reference image to analyze at least one of offset and length differential of at least one of the articulating bone and the implant in the intraoperative image;
• and
• wherein the templating module selects a fixed point on the second digital implant representation and the analysis module is capable of estimating changes in offset and length differential based on selected alternative changes in at least one dimension of the implant for alternative implants, each with a similar fixed point, to be considered by a user of the system as a replacement for the implant in the intraoperative image.

A method for analyzing images to optimize the restoration of orthopedic functionality at a surgical site within a patient, the surgical site including at least a first, skeletal bone and a second, articulating bone that articulates with the skeletal bone at a joint, the method comprising:

• acquiring (i) at least one digitized reference image including one of a preoperative image of the surgical site and a contralateral image on an opposite side of the patient from the surgical site, and (ii) at least one digitized intraoperative image of the site after an implant has been affixed to the articulating bone, the implant having at least a skeletal component with a first center of rotation and an articulating bone component having a second center of rotation, the first and second centers of rotation being co-located in the intraoperative image;
• identifying the location of the implant in the intraoperative image and aligning at least one of (i) at least a first digital implant representation with the skeletal component and with at least one intraoperative stationary point on at least the skeletal bone, and (ii) at least a second digital implant representation with the articulating bone component and at least one point on the articulating bone;
• copying at least one of the first and second digital representations and positioning them in the reference image in an equivalent location relative to at least one of (A) a reference stationary point on at least the skeletal bone and (B) the articulating bone, respectively, in the reference image;
• utilizing any differences between the locations of at least one of the first and second centers of rotation in the reference image to analyze at least one of offset and length differential of at least one of the articulating bone and the implant in the intraoperative image;
• and
• selecting a fixed point on the second digital implant representation and estimating changes in offset and length differential based on selected alternative changes in at least one dimension of the implant for alternative implants, each with a similar fixed point, to be considered by a user of the system as a replacement for the implant in the intraoperative image.