DETERMINING A RANGE OF MOTION OF AN ANATOMICAL JOINT

1 . A data processing method for determining a position of at least two body parts relative to one another, which at least two body parts are connected to one another by at least one joint, the method being executed by a computer and comprising:

a) acquiring initial body part position transformation data comprising initial body part position transformation information describing an initial body part position transformation between positions of the at least two body parts in a predetermined pose of the at least two body parts;

b) acquiring alteration transformation data comprising alteration transformation information describing an alteration transformation between a position of a first alteration part of at least one first body part of the at least two body parts, which first alteration part represents a first virtual anatomical alteration to the at least one first body part, and a position of an anatomically unaltered part of the at least one first body part;

c) determining, based on the initial body part position transformation data and the alteration transformation data, altered body part position transformation data comprising altered body part position transformation information describing a transformation between a position of the first alteration part and a position of a second other one of the at least two body parts in the predetermined pose; and

d) determining, based on the altered body part position transformation data, contact position data comprising contact position information describing positions of the at least two body parts in which at least two of the at least two body parts are considered to have direct or indirect physical contact with one another, wherein the contact position data is determined based on acquiring a data set of parameters including: a mediolateral (ml) parameter, an anterioposterior (ap) parameter, a proximodistal (pd) parameter, an internal/external rotation (ie) angle parameter, a flexion angle parameter, and a vaus-valgus angle parameter, wherein the parameters describe the altered body part position transformation information, acquiring a data set comprising a subset of n of the parameters that includes at least one of the ml parameter, the ap parameter, the pd parameter, and the flexion parameter as an input parameter data set, wherein n is an integer in a range of one to five describing the number of predetermined parameters, determining a modelled 6-n free parameters based on proximodstal modelled values and varus-valgus modelled values of the altered body part position transformation information and changing the altered body part position transformation information according to the determined 6-n free parameters, and wherein a resulting pose of the first and second body parts is determined based on the contact position data, which contact position data is determined based on the changed altered body part position transformation data.

2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the alteration transformation information further describes a transformation between a position of a second alteration part of the second body part, which second alteration part represents a second virtual anatomical alteration to the second body part, and a position of an anatomically unaltered part of the second body part, and wherein the altered body part information describes a transformation between the position of the first alteration part and the position of the second alteration part.

3 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first virtual anatomic alterations comprises conducting a virtual implant, and wherein, if the alteration transformation information further describes a transformation between a position of a second alteration part of the second body part, which second alteration part represents a second virtual anatomical alteration to the second body part, and a position of an anatomically unaltered part of the second body part, and wherein the altered body part information describes a transformation between the position of the first alteration part and the position of the second alteration part, the second virtual anatomical alternation comprises conducting an implant.

4 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the initial body part position transformation data is acquired by a navigation system.

5 . (canceled)

6 . (canceled)

7 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the contact position information describes positions of the at least two body parts in which the first alteration part is considered to have direct or indirect physical contact with an unaltered part of another one of the at least two body parts or, if the alteration transformation information further describes a transformation between a position of a second alteration part of the second body part, which second alteration part represents a second virtual anatomical alteration to the second body part, and a position of an anatomically unaltered part of the second body part, and wherein the altered body part information describes a transformation between the position of the first alteration part and the position of the second alteration part, with another alteration part of another one of the at least two body parts.

8 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein a plurality of positions of at least two of the at least two body parts relative to one another in different functional poses is determined based on the altered body part position transformation information.

9 . The method according to claim 8 , comprising a step of determining, based on the altered body part position transformation data, expected contact enforced deviation data comprising expected contact enforced deviation information describing a predetermined relationship between an expected change of movement state, in particular an expected change of pose, of the at least two body parts due to the altered body part position transformation and a tension attribute, in particular at least one of stress and laxity, of the joint.

10 . The method according to claim 9 , wherein determining the expected contact enforced deviation data comprises comparing a distance of predetermined locations on the first body part from a predetermined position before the first virtual anatomical alteration to a distance of the predetermined locations from the predetermined position after the first virtual anatomical alteration or the second virtual anatomical alteration.

11 . The method according to claim 10 , wherein the predetermined position is a reference line or reference plane before and/or after application of the first virtual anatomical alteration or the second virtual anatomical alteration, wherein the reference line is in particular parallel to a transversal plane of a body of which the body parts are part of.

12 . The method according to claim 10 , wherein comparing the distances comprises determining a difference between the distances.

13 . The method according to claim 10 , comprising graphically displaying graphical representations of the at least two body parts in particular in a plurality of movement states, in particular in a plurality of poses, after the first virtual anatomical alteration has been implemented.

14 . The method according to claim 10 , wherein the joint is a knee joint and an angle, in particular a varus and/or valgus angle, between straight lines connecting the predetermined locations before and/or after the virtual anatomical alteration is determined based on the comparison of the distances.

15 . A computer program which, when running on a computer or when loaded onto a computer, causes the computer to

a) acquire initial body part position transformation data comprising initial body part position transformation information describing an initial body part position transformation between positions of the at least two body parts in a predetermined pose of the at least two body parts;

b) acquire alteration transformation data comprising alteration transformation information describing an alteration transformation between a position of a first alteration part of at least one first body part of the at least two body parts, which first alteration part represents a first virtual anatomical alteration to the at least one first body part, and a position of an anatomically unaltered part of the at least one first body part;

c) determine, based on the initial body part position transformation data and the alteration transformation data, altered body part position transformation data comprising altered body part position transformation information describing a transformation between a position of the first alteration part and a position of a second other one of the at least two body parts in the predetermined pose; and

d) determine, based on the altered body part position transformation data, contact position data comprising contact position information describing positions of the at least two body parts in which at least two of the at least two body parts are considered to have direct or indirect physical contact with one another, wherein the contact position data is determined based on acquiring a data set of parameters including: a mediolateral (ml) parameter, an anterioposterior (ap) parameter, a proximodistal (pd) parameter, an internal/external (ie) rotation angle parameter, a flexion angle parameter, and a vaus-valgus (vv) angle parameter, wherein the parameters describe the altered body part position transformation information, acquiring a data set comprising a subset of n of the parameters that includes at least one of the ml parameter, the ap parameter, the pd parameter, and the flex parameter of n of the parameters in the data set as an input parameter data set, wherein n is an integer in a range of one to five describing the number of predetermined parameters, determining a modelled 6-n free parameters based on proximodstal modelled values and varus-valgus modelled values of the altered body part position transformation information and changing the altered body part position transformation information according to the determined 6-n free parameters, and wherein a resulting pose of the first and second body parts is determined based on the contact position data, which contact position data is determined based on the changed altered body part position transformation data.