Technique for generating a bone plate design

1. A computer-implemented method of generating a data set that geometrically defines a bone plate design for a bone plate with at least a first fixation opening and a second fixation opening being configured to receive fixation members for fixing the bone plate to bone and at least one plate segment, the method comprising:

visualizing, based on shape data of the bone, a virtual bone model on a display device;

deriving plate design data representative of a plate-specific design property, wherein deriving the plate design data comprises:

selecting a first point and a second point on the virtual bone model, the first point being representative of a center position of the first fixation opening and the second point being representative of a center position of the second fixation opening, the second point being spaced from the first point; and

creating a curve based on the first point and the second point, the curve interconnecting the first point and the second point and being representative of a length of the at least one plate segment of the bone plate design; and

generating a data set that geometrically defines the bone plate design from at least the plate design data and one or more generic plate parameters, the generic plate parameters being selected from a group consisting of a number of the fixation openings of the bone plate, a geometric property of the fixation openings, a number of the segments of the bone plate, a geometric property of the at least one segment of the bone plate, at least one of a local and a total thickness of the bone plate, at least one of a local and a total width of the bone plate, and at least one of a local and a total length of the bone plate.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first point and the second point are derived to lie on a bone surface defined by the virtual bone model.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising visualizing, on the display device, the first point and the second point relative to the virtual bone model.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising visualizing, on the display device, a manipulation of the points, and further comprising adapting the plate design data in accordance with the manipulation.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the manipulation comprises at least one of a deletion, insertion and shifting of one of the first point and the second point.

6. The method of one of claim 5 , wherein the step of determining the curve is further representative of an extension of the bone plate.

7. The method of one of claim 6 , further comprising visualizing the curve on the display device.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising adapting the visualized curve responsive to the manipulation of the first point and the second point.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plate design data and the data set geometrically defining the bone plate design are derived or generated based on the shape data.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising analyzing the shape data to define at least one of an out-of-plane bending and a torsion of the bone plate.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises providing a software-based parameter editing function configured to permit editing of the one or more geometric plate parameters.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising visualizing a virtual plate model based on the plate design data.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the bone comprises at least one bone portion that is missing or to be removed and wherein the bone plate is adapted to extend at least partially over a bone gap previously filled by the bone portion that is missing or to be removed.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising generating reconstruction data for the bone portion that is missing or to be removed, and wherein the data set that geometrically defines the bone plate design is further generated from the reconstruction data.

15. The method of claim 13 , further comprising generating the data set that geometrically defines the bone plate design such that a first plate portion extending over the bone gap is offset, relative to a section of a second plate portion adjacent to the bone gap, into the bone gap.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the data set geometrically defines the design of a craniofacial bone plate.

17. A device for designing a bone plate with at least a first fixation opening and a second fixation opening configured to receive fixation members for fixing the bone plate to bone and at least one plate segment, the device comprising:

a display device adapted to visualize, based on shape data of the bone, a virtual bone model and to display a pointer relative to the virtual bone model, the pointer being positionable relative to the virtual bone model by user interaction; and

at least one processor adapted to derive plate design data representative of a plate-specific design property from relationships between the pointer and the virtual bone model, wherein deriving the plate design data comprises:

selecting a first point and a second point on the virtual bone model using the pointer, the first point being representative of a center position of the first fixation opening and the second point being representative of a center position of the second fixation opening, the second point being spaced from the first point; and

creating a curve based on the first point and the second point, the curve interconnecting the first point and the second point and being representative of a length of the at least one plate segment of the plate design,

wherein the at least one processor is adapted to 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, the generic plate parameters being selected from the group consisting of a number of the fixation openings of the bone plate, a geometric property of the fixation openings, a number of the segments of the bone plate, a geometric property of the at least one segment of the bone plate, at least one of a local and a total thickness of the bone plate, at least one of a local and a total width of the bone plate, and at least one of a local and a total length of the bone plate.

18. The device of claim 17 , wherein the curve is further representative of an extension of the bone plate.