Implant Placement Planning

Abstract

A method of planning a procedure to fasten an implant to a bone includes displaying a model of the bone and a model of the implant on a display device. The model implant is positioned on the model bone in a desired implant position. A first boundary volume of a first fastener configured to fasten the prosthesis to the bone is also displayed on the display device. The first boundary volume represents a range of possible positions that the first fastener may have with respect to the prosthesis when fastened to the bone. The boundary volume may be used to determine a desired size, shape, and/or positioning of the fastener with respect to the bone.

1 . A surgical method comprising:
 displaying on a display device a model of a bone;   displaying on the display device a first boundary area of a first fastener configured to pass into the bone, wherein the first fastener has a plurality of separately and independently viable positions, the first boundary area simultaneously representing a range of all the plurality of separately and independently viable positions that the first fastener may have when the first fastener is implanted in the bone;   displaying on the display device a second boundary area of a second fastener configured to pass into the bone, wherein the second fastener has a plurality of separately and independently viable positions, the second boundary area simultaneously representing a range of all the plurality of separately and independently viable positions that the second fastener may have when the fastener is implanted in the bone;   determining whether the first boundary area and the second boundary area have a volume of interference in which the first fastener would interfere with the second fastener; and   implanting the first fastener and second fastener into the bone so that the first fastener does not contact the second fastener.   
     
     
         2 . The surgical method of  claim 1 , further comprising displaying on the display device the volume of interference. 
     
     
         3 . The surgical method of  claim 1 , further comprising providing a buffer volume in addition to the determined volume of interference so as to provide for a minimum distance between the first fastener and the second fastener when the first fastener and the second fastener are implanted into the bone, the minimum distance being greater than zero. 
     
     
         4 . The surgical method of  claim 1 , further comprising setting a minimum distance between the first fastener and the second fastener, the minimum distance being greater than zero. 
     
     
         5 . The surgical method of  claim 1 , wherein displaying the model of the bone includes displaying bone quality information on the model of the bone. 
     
     
         6 . The surgical method of  claim 6 , wherein the bone quality information is bone density. 
     
     
         7 . The surgical method of  claim 1 , further comprising displaying on the display device a model of an implant having a first aperture for receiving the first fastener and a second aperture for receiving the second fastener. 
     
     
         8 . The surgical method of  claim 7 , further comprising positioning the model implant on the model bone in a desired implant position on the display device. 
     
     
         9 . The surgical method of  claim 8 , wherein the implant is a bone plate. 
     
     
         10 . The surgical method of  claim 8 , wherein the first boundary area is displayed with the first fastener fully received within the first aperture, and the second boundary area is displayed with the second fastener fully received within the second aperture. 
     
     
         11 . The surgical method of  claim 1 , wherein the displayed first boundary area has a plurality of area portions such that each area portion simultaneously represents all possible positions of a different sized first fastener. 
     
     
         12 . A computer system including a memory and a processor configured to execute instructions stored in the memory to:
 display on a display device a model of a bone;   display on the display device a first boundary area of a first fastener configured to pass into the bone, wherein the first fastener has a plurality of separately and independently viable positions, the first boundary area simultaneously representing a range of all the plurality of separately and independently viable positions that the first fastener may have when the first fastener is implanted in the bone;   display on the display device a second boundary area of a second fastener configured to pass into the bone, wherein the second fastener has a plurality of separately and independently viable positions, the second boundary area simultaneously representing a range of all the plurality of separately and independently viable positions that the second fastener may have when the fastener is implanted in the bone; and   indicate whether the first boundary area and the second boundary area have a volume of interference in which the first fastener would interfere with the second fastener.   
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein indicating whether the first boundary area and the second boundary area have a volume of interference includes displaying on the display device the volume of interference. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the processor is further configured to provide a buffer volume in addition to the volume of interference so as to provide for a minimum distance between the first fastener and the second fastener when the first fastener and the second fastener are implanted into the bone, the minimum distance being greater than zero. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the processor is further configured to set a minimum distance between the first fastener and the second fastener, the minimum distance being greater than zero. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the processor is further configured to display bone quality information on the model of the bone. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the bone quality information is bone density. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the processor is further configured to display on the display device a model of an implant having a first aperture for receiving the first fastener and a second aperture for receiving the second fastener. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 18 , wherein the implant is a bone plate.