System for Computer-Aided Three-Dimensional Bending of Spinal Rod Implants
INVENTORS:
Jeffrey Shilt, M.D. Department of Orthopedics and Pediatrics, WFUHS(Joint Invention with Various Faculty and Students Virginia Tech-WFUHS School of Biomedical Engineering)
STATUS:
Patents Pending
TECHNOLOGY DESCRIPTION:
Scoliosis is a commonly diagnosed pediatric pathology. The current clinical paradigm for designing and shaping the surgical corrective instrumentation is poorly resolved and highly personnel intensive. Corrective surgery typically involves the fixation of segments of the vertebral column through the attachment of curved titanium rods to the spine through an arrangement of hooks and pedicle screws. The shaping of these rods is done during surgery with the patient's spine exposed in a trial and error procedure by using hand tools for bending and cutting the rods. As this part of surgery may take up to several hours, this process is both tiring to the surgeon and involves increased risks to the patient. Significant treatment benefits and cost savings will be realized with a computer-aided system for on-the-fly design and automated manufacture of corrective instrumentation for scoliosis surgery. This invention describes a combination of manufacturing hardware and a computer-aided-design system to impose the desired curvature on an actual rod for immediate surgical use. The proposed system will significantly impact the time and physical effort required of the surgeon during surgery in designing and shaping the spinal implant. The reduced time required for the surgical procedure reduces the exposure of the patient to infection. The increased accuracy of the produced output as compared to the manually shaped implants is expected to improve the likelihood of a desirable outcome of a spinal fixation surgery.
COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS:
Patients undergoing surgical spinal implementation for scoliosis deformity
Licensing Contact:
Josh Schwartz M.D.
Assistant Director
Email: jschwart@wfubmc.edu
Phone: (336) 716-3729