| CPC A61B 34/10 (2016.02) [A61B 34/25 (2016.02); A61F 2/30942 (2013.01); A61B 2034/102 (2016.02); A61B 2034/105 (2016.02); A61B 2034/258 (2016.02); A61F 2002/30948 (2013.01); A61F 2002/30953 (2013.01); A61F 2002/30955 (2013.01); A61F 2002/30985 (2013.01); A61F 2/4611 (2013.01)] | 11 Claims |
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1. A computer-implemented method for planning and simulating a surgical operation to create a patient-specific spinal implant, comprising:
receiving, by one or more processor, patient-specific medical image data from an MRI, CT, or 3D scanning system;
automatically detecting and removing unwanted artifacts and noise using a secondary filtering comprising one or more of median filtering, Gaussian smoothing, or anisotropic diffusion;
generating, by the one or more processors, a 3D mesh model of the patient's spine, including individual vertebral bodies and intervertebral spaces, by converting the received image data using a first algorithm stored in a memory;
separating the individual vertebral bodies for independent manipulation by applying image segmentation techniques comprising one or more of thresholding, region growing, or active contours, wherein each vertebra is assigned a unique label or identifier to facilitate subsequent referencing and selection;
smoothing the surfaces of the segmented vertebral bodies using one or more of Laplacian smoothing or Taubin smoothing to reduce staircase artifacts;
creating reference lines and connection points on the vertebral models to aid in the placement and orientation of the spinal implant, wherein these include one or more anatomical landmarks selected from pedicles, transverse processes, or superior and inferior endplates;
transmitting, by the one or more processors, the 3D mesh model represented as a high-resolution polygon mesh defining the surface geometry of the vertebrae, wherein the polygon mesh data structure allows for efficient manipulation and rendering of the complex vertebral shapes to a remote doctor's computer for real-time manipulation;
receiving, by the one or more processors, input from the doctor to control the visibility and transparency of individual vertebral bodies to adjust the spacing, tilt, and angles of one or more intervertebral spaces to achieve a desired spinal curvature;
updating, by the one or more processors, the 3D mesh model based on the doctor's input;
generating, by the one or more processors, a final 3D spinal implant design based on the updated 3D mesh model, wherein the implant design comprises surface-mapped endplates that match the anatomy of the patient's vertebral bodies;
transmitting, by the one or more processors, the final implant design to a 3D printer for manufacturing; and
manufacturing the patient-specific spinal implant according to the design using biocompatible materials suitable for implantation.
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