Development of an algorithm-based approach for Computational Design Synthesis of individualized implants

Abstract

The trend towards product individualization in medical technology, e.g., for implants, is based on the realization that taking patient-specific characteristics into account significantly influences the therapy of diseases. However, one problem in the individualization of implants is the inaccessible position in the body, which only permits computer-aided modeling of individual solutions. A promising solution is using a Computer-Aided Engineering Environment (CAEE), which enables an algorithm-based approach to implement tools based on Computational Design Synthesis (CDS) that can build design knowledge and robustly generate patient-specific variants. In this paper, a case study is used to demonstrate the development of an algorithm-based approach within the framework of the CDS in a CAEE that performs hip arthroplasty individualization. The functions, implemented in a CAEE, includes all process steps, from medical image processing of Computed Tomographic (CT) data to generating a patient-specific solution. Relevant research questions addressed here include the automated recognition of geometry information from initialized data, processing of these data in product models to derive solutions automatically and implementing optimization algorithms to maximize requirement satisfaction. The result of this work is a fully automated model generator for hip stem prosthesis that requires only a CT scan for its design synthesis and optimization.