Method and Apparatus for Computer Aided Surgery

Abstract

A number of improvements are provided relating to computer aided surgery. The improvement relates to both the methods used during computer aided surgery and the devices used during such procedures. Some of the improvement relate to controlling the selection of which data to display during a procedure and / or how the data is displayed to aid the surgeon. Other improvements relate to the structure of the tools used during a procedure and how the tools can be controlled automatically to improve the efficiency of the procedure. Still other improvements relate to methods of providing feedback during a procedure to improve either the efficiency or quality, or both, for a procedure.

Description

PRIORITY CLAIM [0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11 / 764,505, filed Jun. 18, 2007 which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60 / 814,370, filed Jun. 16, 2006 and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60 / 827,877, filed Oct. 2, 2006. Each of the foregoing applications is hereby incorporated herein by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates to the field of computer assisted surgery. Specifically, the present invention relates to various aspects of a surgical suite in which a computer provides guidance or assistance during a surgical procedure. BACKGROUND [0003] Many surgical procedures are complex procedures requiring numerous alignment jigs and intricate soft tissue procedures. Preparing and placing the alignment jigs and other preparation is often a significant part of the procedure. For instance, when performing a total knee replacement procedure (“TKR”), the prosthesis must be accurately...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0007] According to a further aspect, the computer controls operation of the surgical tool in response to information detected regarding the surgical tool. For instance, the system may track the position of the surgical tool relative to the patient. Based on the data regarding the position of the surgical tool, the computer may send signals to the surgical tool to control the operation of the surgical tool, such as reducing the speed on the tool or turning the tool on or off.

[0009] Another aspect of the system is directed toward the use of the surgical tool in a free hand procedure to reduce or eliminate the use of jigs during a procedure. In such a procedure, the computer tracks the position of the surgical tool relative to the patient and displays the results on a screen to guide the surgeon in the procedure. In a resection procedure, the system may be configured to identify the patient tissue with different colors to identify the proximity of the tissue to the resection boundaries. For instance, tissue that is not to be resected may be illustrated in a red color, so that the surgeon can easily see that the tissue is not to be resected. Tissue that is to be resected may be illustrated in a green color. Further, tissue at the boundary of the portion to be resected may be illustrated in yellow, so that the surgeon can easily see that the cuts are getting close to the boundary.

[0011] According to a further aspect, the system provides a method for assessing and improving the quality of a bone cut. For instance, the system measures various parameters relating to the quality of a bone cut, such as surface roughness, accuracy of each cut. If the parameter fall within pre-defined limits, the system indicates to the surgeon that the resection was successful, so that the prosthesis can be implanted. If one or more parameter falls outside the pre-defined limits, the system may calculate the step or steps necessary to correct the bone cuts so that the surgeon can perform the necessary correction.

Problems solved by technology

Many surgical procedures are complex procedures requiring numerous alignment jigs and intricate soft tissue procedures.

If the alignment is inaccurate, the misalignment will lead to failure of the joint, requiring the complex task of replacing one or more portions of the knee prothesis.

The jigs are complex devices that require significant time to install on the patient during the surgical procedure.

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