Patient-Adapted and Improved Orthopedic Implants, Designs and Related Tools

Abstract

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.

What is claimed is: 
     
         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 based on the shape identified in step (a);   (c) determining a minimum material thickness for the articular implant; and   (d) designing the inner bone-facing surface of the articular implant based on the shape of the outer articular surface and the minimum material thickness.