System and method for orienting orthopedic implants

摘要

A surgical guidance system for properly orienting a surgical instrument, such as an acetabular cup inserter, within a patient relative to a plurality of anatomical reference points includes a support device for retaining the patient, a reference sensor fixedly coupled to the support device and a tool sensor removably coupled to the instrument. The support device includes a plurality of abutment pads that directly contact the plurality of anatomical reference points. A processor is electrically connected to the reference and tool sensors and is programmed to collect spatial orientation data compiled from each sensor. Using the spatial orientation data, the processor determines in real-time the actual orientation of the surgical instrument relative to the anatomical reference points. An indicator is electrically connected to the processor and provides a feedback signal that assists the surgeon in properly orienting the instrument relative to a user-defined acceptable range.

主权项

1. A surgical guidance system for use on a patient, the patient having at least one anatomical reference point, the surgical guidance system comprising:
(a) a support device adapted to contact the patient at a particular location relative to the at least one anatomical reference point; (b) a reference sensor fixedly coupled to the support device for collecting a first set of spatial orientation data; (c) a surgical instrument for use on the patient, the surgical instrument having a longitudinal axis; (d) a tool sensor coupled to the surgical instrument for collecting a second set of spatial orientation data; and (e) a processor in electronic communication with the reference sensor and the tool sensor, the processor collecting the first and second sets of spatial orientation data, wherein the processor calculates the actual orientation of the surgical instrument relative to the at least one anatomical reference point using the first and second sets of spatial orientation data.