Method and System for Planning Implant Component Position

Abstract

A method for planning an orthopedic procedure including positioning a virtual implant component relative to a 3D volume of scan data of a patient is disclosed. A 2D volume of scan data of a patient, which includes scan data of a bony anatomy of the patient, is provided. A first 2D view of scan data is generated from the 3D volume of the scan data, wherein the 1D view of scan data comprises a first portion of the bony anatomy. First positional information for the virtual implant component is defining relative to the first 2D view. A second 2D view of scan data is generated from the 3D volume of scan data, wherein the second 2D view of scan data is provided from the 3D volume of scan data at an angle relative to the first 2D view of scan data and comprises a second portion of the bony anatomy. Second positional information for the virtual implant component is defined relative to the second 2D view of scan data. 3D positional information for the virtual implant component relative the 3D volume of scan data is provided based on the first positional information and the second positional information.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for planning an orthopedic procedure, said method including positioning a virtual implant component relative to a 3D volume of scan data of a patient, comprising:
 providing a 3D volume of scan data of a patient, which includes scan data of a bony anatomy of the patient;   generating a first 2D view of scan data based on the 3D volume of the scan data of the patient;   defining, relative to the first 2D, view first positional information for the virtual implant component;   generating a second 2D view of scan data based on the 3D volume of scan data of a patient, wherein the second 2D view of scan data is provided from the 3D volume of scan data at an angle relative to the first 2D view of scan data;   defining, relative to the second 2D view of scan data second positional information for the virtual implant component; and   providing 3D positional information for the virtual implant component relative the 3D volume of scan data based on the first positional information and the second positional information.   
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , comprising adjusting a position of at least one of:
 an object relative to the first 2D view of scan data for generating the first positional information, and   an object relative to the second 2D view of scan data for generating the second positional information,   wherein said adjusting is locked to adjustment in a single dimension in each of said first and second 2D views of scan data.   
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 1 , comprising displaying a third 2D view of scan data generated from the 3D volume of scan data of the patient, wherein the third 2D view of scan data is provided from the 3D volume of scan data at an angle relative to the first 2D view of scan data and the second 2D view of scan data, and wherein the third 2D view of scan data comprises a third portion of the bony anatomy;
 defining, relative to the third 2D view of scan data, third positional information for the virtual implant component; and   providing 3D positional information for the virtual implant component relative the 3D volume of scan data by the first positional information, the second positional information, and the third positional information.   
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 1 , comprising:
 displaying a 3D representation of the virtual implant component in a position defined by the first and second positional information; and   displaying a position adjustment object associated with the virtual implant component and being moveable in a single dimension at the time, wherein each dimension is parallel to at least one of the first and the second 2D views of scan data.   
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein defining first and second positional information for the virtual implant component comprises defining positional information for at least one of: an affected femoral head, affected femoral shaft, unaffected femoral head, unaffected femoral shaft, a copy of the virtual implant, a stem of the virtual implant, and a knee implant. 
     
     
         6 . The method according  claim 1 , comprising dividing the 3D volume of scan data into a first 3D sub-volume of scan data and a second sub-volume of scan data based on the first and second positional information, and optionally also based on at least a section of the virtual implant component. 
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 1 , displaying a first virtual implant component in a position relative to the 3D scan data based on the first and the second positional information, and a second virtual implant component, which is a virtual representation of the position of an actual implant relative to the actual bony anatomy of the patient. 
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 1 , comprising exporting navigational data based on the first and second positional information to a navigation unit for guiding the position of an actual implant relative to the actual bony anatomy of the patient. 
     
     
         9 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein generating the first 2D view and the second 2D view, and the third 2D view, comprises using reformatting techniques, e.g. projection methods such as maximum intensity projection and/or minimum intensity projection, to provide at least one of reformatted and reconstructed slices, wherein the 2D views comprise at least one of images reformatted and reconstructed slices, wherein the 2D views comprise at least one of images reformatted and reconstructed from the 3D volume of scan data, and wherein the 2D views optionally comprise grey values displayed as pixel data obtained from at least one voxel of the 3D volume of scan data. 
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claim 9 , comprising generating the first 2D view and the second 2D view, and third 2D view, at an angle relative to each other to be orthogonal. 
     
     
         11 . The method according to  claim 3 , wherein defining the first positional information and the second positional information, and third positional information, for the virtual implant component is restricted to defining in maximum two degrees of freedom, optionally in a single degree of freedom, for at least one of the first positional information and the second positional information, and third positional information. 
     
     
         12 . The method according to  claim 3 , wherein the first positional information is defined in the dimensions of the first 2D view and the second positional information is defined in the dimensions of the second 2D view, and the third positional information is defined in the dimensions of the third 2D view. 
     
     
         13 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein each of the first 2D view, the second 2D view, and the third 2D view, are displayed separately. 
     
     
         14 . The method according to  claim 3 , comprising adjusting at least one of the first positional information relative to the first 2D view and the second positional information relative to the second 2D view, and the third positional information relative to the third 2D view. 
     
     
         15 . The method according to  claim 13 , wherein the adjusting of at least one of the first positional information and the second positional information, and the third positional information, for the virtual implant component is guided by an offset for an affected anatomy relative an unaffected anatomy. 
     
     
         16 . The method according to  claim 3 , comprising defining each of the first positional information and the second positional information, and the third positional information, to comprise coordinate information in one or two dimensions, wherein the combination of the first positional information and the second positional information, and the third positional information, comprises coordinate information in three different dimensions. 
     
     
         17 . A computer system comprising a programmable device adapted to perform the method according to  claim 1 . 
     
     
         18 . A computer program product stored on a computer readable medium comprising computer readable program code segments for causing a computer to execute the method of  claim 1 . 
     
     
         19 . A method for planning an orthopedic procedure including positioning a virtual implant component relative to a 3D volume of scan data of a patient, comprising:
 providing the 3D volume of scan data of the patient, which includes scan data of a bony anatomy of the patient;   transforming at least a portion of the 3D volume of scan data into multiple 2D views of scan data, said transforming comprising:
 generating a first 2D view of scan data based on the 3D volume of the scan data; and 
 generating a second 2D view of scan data based on the 3D volume of scan data, wherein the second 2D view of scan data is provided from the 3D volume of scan data at an angle relative to the first 2D view of scan data; 
   indicating relative to the first 2D view of scan data at least one of an affected and an unaffected anatomy for a maximum of two degrees of freedom;   indicating relative to the second 2D view of scan data said at least one of said affected anatomy and said unaffected anatomy for a maximum of two degrees of freedom;   providing 3D positional information in three different dimensions for the virtual implant component relative to the 3D volume of scan data based on the indications of said at least one of said affected anatomy and said unaffected anatomy;   displaying a virtual representation of the virtual implant component in a position defined by coordinates of at least the first position object, and the second position object; and   displaying a position adjustment object associated with the virtual representation of the virtual implant component, wherein the position adjustment object and the virtual representation of the virtual implant component are moveable in maximum two dimensions at a time, wherein each dimension is parallel to at least one of the first, and the second, 2D views of scan data.   
     
     
         20 . The method according to  claim 19 , wherein:
 indicating relative to the first 2D view of scan data comprises positioning relative to the first 2D view of scan data a first position object to define at least one of said affected anatomy and said unaffected anatomy for a maximum of two degrees of freedom; and   indicating relative to the first 2D view of scan data comprises positioning relative to the second 2D view of scan data a second position object to define said at least one of said affected anatomy and said unaffected anatomy for a maximum of two degrees of freedom;   wherein positioning said first position object, and said second position object, defines first, second, and third positional information for the virtual implant component.