Technique For Generating A Bone Plate Design

A device for designing a bone plate, the device comprising:

• a display device adapted to visualize, based on shape data of a bone, a bone model and to display a pointer relative to the bone model that is also positionable relative to the bone model;
• at least one processor adapted to derive plate design data from a relationship between the pointer and the bone model and responsive to a user interaction signal generated by a user interaction that manipulates the pointer relative to the bone model, the plate design data being representative of a plate-specific design property, wherein deriving the plate design data comprises:
• determining one or more points relative to the bone model, each point being determined from the relationship between the pointer and the bone model,
• wherein the plate design data comprises the one or more points, the one or more points being derived to lie on a bone surface defined by the bone model;
• and
• wherein the at least one processor is further adapted to:
• visualize, on the display device, the one or more points relative to the bone model;
• and
• generate a data set that geometrically defines a bone plate design from at least the plate design data and one or more generic plate parameters.

A device for designing a bone plate, the device comprising:

• a display device adapted to visualize, based on shape data of a bone, a bone model and to display a pointer relative to the bone model that is also positionable relative to the bone model;
• at least one processor adapted to derive plate design data from a relationship between the pointer and the bone model determined and responsive to a user interaction signal generated by a user interaction that manipulates the pointer relative to the bone model, the plate design data being representative of a plate-specific design property, wherein deriving the plate design data comprises:
• determining two or more points relative to the bone model, each point of the two or more points being determined from the relationship between the pointer and the bone model,
• wherein the plate design data comprises the two or more points;
• and
• wherein the at least one processor is further adapted to:
• determine a curve based on a sequence of the two or more points, the curve being representative of an extension of the bone plate or of one or more plate segments of the bone plate, wherein the plate design data comprise curve data indicative of the extension or of the one or more plate segments, the two or more points derived to lie on a bone surface defined by the bone model and being representative of a position or orientation of the plate segments;
• visualize, on the display device, the two or more points relative to the bone model and the curve corresponding to the two or more points, wherein the curve is visualized when two points of the two or more points have been defined relative to the bone model, and wherein the at least one processor is adapted such that the curve is newly calculated and extended as additional points of the two or more points are defined;
• and
• generate a data set that geometrically defines a bone plate design from at least the plate design data and one or more generic plate parameters, wherein the bone plate design comprises at least two patient-specific fixation openings and a plate segment of the one or more plate segments interconnecting the two patient-specific fixation openings.