Patient-adapted and improved articular implants, designs and related guide tools
View Patent ↗Methods and devices are disclosed relating improved articular models, implant components, and related guide tools and procedures. In addition, methods and devices are disclosed relating articular models, implant components, and/or related guide tools and procedures that include one or more features derived from patient-data, for example, images of the patient's joint. The data can be used to create a model for analyzing a patient's joint and to devise and evaluate a course of corrective action. The data also can be used to create patient-adapted implant components and related tools and procedures.
1. A method of designing a patient-matched articular implant for repairing a patient's joint having an outer articular surface and an inner bone-facing surface, the method comprising the steps of
(a) preoperatively identifying from patient-specific data of the patient's joint a shape of an articular surface of the patient's joint;
(b) deriving for the articular implant's outer articular surface a shape that substantially matches the shape identified in step (a);
(c) determining a desired minimum peripheral thickness and a desired maximum peripheral thickness for the articular implant;
(d) selecting a blank based on the desired minimum peripheral thickness and the desired maximum peripheral thickness;
(d) modifying the blank to make the patient-matched articular implant based on the derived outer articular surface in step (b) and the desired minimum peripheral thickness and the desired maximum peripheral thickness.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the articular implant is selected from the group consisting of a femoral implant, a tibial implant, a patellar implant, a hip implant, a shoulder implant, and a spinal implant.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the desired minimum or maximum peripheral thickness for the articular implant includes performing a finite element analysis (FEA).
4. The method of claim 1 , further including performing a load-bearing analysis of the patient's joint.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the substantially matching includes smoothing a line or curve derived from the patient's articular surface.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the substantially matching includes modifying the coronal or sagittal curvature.
7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the modifying comprises increasing or decreasing a radius of the coronal or sagittal curvature.