Bone reconstruction and orthopedic implants

Abstract

A surgical navigation system comprising a signal receiver communicatively coupled to a primary processor, the primary processor programmed to utilize a sequential Monte Carlo algorithm to calculate changes in three dimensional position of an inertial measurement unit mounted to a surgical tool, the processor communicatively coupled to a first memory storing tool data unique to each of a plurality of surgical tools, and a second memory storing a model data sufficient to construct a three dimensional model of an anatomical feature, the primary processor communicatively coupled to a display providing visual feedback regarding the three dimensional position of the surgical tool with respect to the anatomical feature.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 .- 34 . (canceled) 
     
     
         35 . A method of kinematically tracking motion of a patient's anatomy using inertial measurement units, the method comprising:
 mounting a first inertial measurement unit to an exterior of a patient's first anatomical feature of interest;   mounting a second inertial measurement unit to an exterior of a patient's second anatomical feature of interest;   registering a position of the patient's first anatomical feature with a virtual model of the patient's first anatomical feature of interest using the first inertial measurement unit;   registering a position of the patient's second anatomical feature with a virtual model of the patient's second anatomical feature of interest using the second inertial measurement unit;   dynamically correlating the position of the patient's first anatomical feature of interest with a virtual model of the first anatomical feature using the first inertial measurement unit; and,   dynamically correlating the position of the patient's second anatomical feature of interest with a virtual model of the second anatomical feature using the second inertial measurement unit.   
     
     
         36 . A method of constructing a hip cage comprising:
 selecting a three dimensional virtual template hip cage model from a plurality of three dimensional virtual template hip cage models;   fabricating a three dimensional bone model corresponding to an irregular bone comprising at least one of a fractured bone and a degenerated bone;   fabricating a three dimensional template hip cage corresponding to the selected three dimensional virtual template hip cage model; and,   manually fitting the three dimensional template hip cage to the three dimensional bone model to create a patient-specific hip cage.   
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 36 , further comprising constructing a three dimensional virtual bone model corresponding to the irregular bone. 
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 37 , wherein constructing the three dimensional virtual bone model includes generating anatomical landmarks in comparison to anatomical landmarks for bone models within a statistical atlas. 
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 36 , wherein selecting the three dimensional virtual template hip cage model from the plurality of three dimensional virtual template hip cage models includes calculating which, among the plurality of three dimensional virtual template hip cage models, most closely fits anatomical landmarks of the three dimensional virtual template hip cage model. 
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 36 , wherein selecting the three dimensional virtual template hip cage model from the plurality of three dimensional virtual template hip cage models includes calculating a location where the three dimensional virtual template hip cage model will be mounted to a three dimensional virtual bone model corresponding to the three dimensional bone model. 
     
     
         41 . The method of  claim 36 , further comprising constructing a three dimensional virtual placement guide that is utilized to output machine code for constructing a three dimensional placement guide used to place the patient-specific hip cage on the irregular bone. 
     
     
         42 . The method of  claim 36 , wherein fabricating the three dimensional bone model includes outputting machine code describing a three dimensional virtual bone model corresponding to the irregular bone. 
     
     
         43 . The method of  claim 42 , wherein the machine code is configured to allow a rapid prototyping machine to construct the three dimensional bone model using at least one of an additive process and a subtractive process. 
     
     
         44 . The method of  claim 43 , wherein the additive process includes three dimensional printing. 
     
     
         45 . The method of  claim 43 , wherein the subtractive process includes machining away material from a block. 
     
     
         46 . The method of  claim 36 , wherein manually fitting the three dimensional template hip cage to the three dimensional bone model includes bending the three dimensional template hip cage to more closely conform to the three dimensional bone model. 
     
     
         47 . The method of  claim 36 , further comprising sterilizing the patient-specific hip cage. 
     
     
         48 . A system for constructing a hip cage comprising:
 a computer loaded with software configured to perform the following acts:
 constructing a three dimensional virtual bone model of an irregular bone, the irregular bone comprising at least one of a fractured bone and a degenerated bone, using medical image data of the irregular bone, 
 selecting a three dimensional virtual template hip cage model, from a plurality of three dimensional virtual template hip cage models, which best conforms to the three dimensional virtual bone model, 
 determine a location where a hip cage is mounted to the irregular bone and generate a three dimensional virtual hip cage placement guide using the location, and 
 outputting machine code describing the three dimensional virtual bone model. 
   
     
     
         49 . The system of  claim 48 , wherein selecting the three dimensional virtual template hip cage model includes automatically landmarking the three dimensional virtual bone model and determining which of the plurality of three dimensional virtual template hip cage models best conforms to the landmarks. 
     
     
         50 . The system of  claim 48 , wherein the machine code is configured to allow a rapid prototyping machine to construct the three dimensional bone model using at least one of an additive process and a subtractive process. 
     
     
         51 . The system of  claim 50 , wherein the additive process includes three dimensional printing. 
     
     
         52 . The system of  claim 50 , wherein the subtractive process includes machining away material from a block. 
     
     
         53 . A method of kinematically tracking a body anatomy comprising:
 generating a three dimensional virtual model of the body anatomy;   automatically landmarking the three dimensional virtual model;   visually displaying the three dimensional virtual model in dynamic motion and updated in real-time to reflect actual motion of the body anatomy;   receiving signals from a first inertial measurement unit and a second inertial measurement unit mounted to the body anatomy to dynamically track the body anatomy in three dimensional space; and,   registering the body anatomy to the three dimensional virtual model.   
     
     
         54 . The method of  claim 53 , wherein the three dimensional virtual model of the body anatomy includes a three dimensional virtual bone model and a three dimensional virtual soft tissue model.