System for determining the quality of an individual's bone structure

A system for determining the porosity of a bone structure, said system comprising:

• a body adapted for drilling into the bone structure and presenting an outside surface,
• at least one first electrode having a contact surface arranged on the outside surface of the body so as to come into contact with the bone structure during drilling,
• at least one second electrode having a contact surface arranged on the outside surface of the body so as to come into contact with the bone structure at a distance from the first electrode during drilling,
• an electric generator adapted for applying an electric current between the contact surfaces of the first and second electrodes for a determined period of time, said electric current having a characteristic chosen from among a voltage and an intensity which is known,
• a measuring device configured to continuously measure over the determined period of time the other characteristic chosen from among the voltage and the intensity of the electric current passing through the bone structure between the contact surfaces of the first and second electrodes, and
• a processing device configured to continuously determine over the determined period of time an electrical magnitude representative of the capacity of the bone structure for allowing the passage of the electric current between the contact surfaces of the first and second electrodes, based on the known characteristic and on the measured characteristic, and to continuously deliver over the determined period of time a signal representative of the porosity of the bone structure between the contact surfaces of the first and second electrodes, based on the determined electrical magnitude,
• the processing device being further configured to store a transfer function relating each of the values in a range of values for the electrical magnitude to a value in a range of values for the porosity of the bone structure,
• the processing device being further configured to continuously calculates a value for the electrical magnitude during the determined period of time, and to continuously associate during the determined period of time the value calculated for the electrical magnitude with a value for the porosity of the bone structure.