U.S. patent application number 13/174856 was filed with the patent office on 2013-01-03 for backup kit for a patient-specific arthroplasty kit assembly.
This patent application is currently assigned to BIOMET MANUFACTURING CORP.. Invention is credited to Robert Metzger.
Application Number | 20130001121 13/174856 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 47389494 |
Filed Date | 2013-01-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130001121 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Metzger; Robert |
January 3, 2013 |
BACKUP KIT FOR A PATIENT-SPECIFIC ARTHROPLASTY KIT ASSEMBLY
Abstract
A method for preparing a backup kit for a plurality of
patient-specific arthroplasty procedures scheduled at the same
medical facility includes providing a database with data from
completed arthroplasty procedures using patient-specific
arthroplasty kits. The database includes comparisons between
preoperatively planned implant size and intraoperatively implanted
implant size. The method includes determining a statistically
expected implant size deviation from a planned implant size for
each implant included in a plurality of patient-specific
arthroplasty kits prepared for a shipment to the medical facility
using the database. A backup kit of backup implants is assembled
for the shipment. The number and size of the backup implants is
determined from the statistically expected implant size
deviations.
Inventors: |
Metzger; Robert; (Wakarusa,
IN) |
Assignee: |
BIOMET MANUFACTURING CORP.
Warsaw
IN
|
Family ID: |
47389494 |
Appl. No.: |
13/174856 |
Filed: |
July 1, 2011 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
206/438 ;
706/52 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61F 2/30 20130101; A61F
2/30942 20130101; A61B 17/1764 20130101; A61B 2034/108 20160201;
A61B 17/155 20130101; A61F 2/0095 20130101; A61B 2017/568 20130101;
A61B 17/157 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
206/438 ;
706/52 |
International
Class: |
A61B 19/02 20060101
A61B019/02; G06N 5/04 20060101 G06N005/04 |
Claims
1. A method for preparing a backup kit for a plurality of
patient-specific arthroplasty procedures scheduled at the same
medical facility comprising: providing a database having data from
completed arthroplasty procedures using patient-specific
arthroplasty kits, the database including comparisons between
preoperatively planned implant sizes and intraoperatively implanted
implant sizes; determining a statistically expected implant size
deviation from a planned implant size for each implant included in
a plurality of patient-specific arthroplasty kits prepared for a
shipment to the medical facility using the database; and assembling
a backup kit of backup implants for the shipment, wherein the
number and size of the backup implants is determined from the
statistically expected implant size deviations.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising updating the database
with intraoperatively implanted implant size for each
patient-specific arthroplasty kit after a corresponding
arthroplasty procedure is completed.
3. The method of claim 1, further comprising assembling the
plurality of patient-specific arthroplasty kits for the medical
facility.
4. The method of claim 3, further comprising including in each
patient-specific arthroplasty kit a patient-specific alignment
guide.
5. The method of claim 4, further comprising including in each
patient-specific arthroplasty kit a non-custom implant.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the size of at least one backup
implant differs by a size interval of 2.5 mm from the planned
implant size.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the backup kit includes knee
implants.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the planned period of time is a
single day.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein the planned period of time is a
single week.
10. A method for preparing a backup kit for a plurality of
patient-specific arthroplasty procedures scheduled at the same
medical facility comprising: assembling a shipment of a plurality
of patient-specific arthroplasty kits scheduled for arthroplasty
procedures at the same medical facility within a planned period of
time, each arthroplasty kit including a patient-specific alignment
guide and a non-custom implant; accessing a database of completed
arthroplasty procedures using patient-specific arthroplasty kits,
the database indicating deviations between preoperatively planned
implant sizes and intraoperatively implanted implant sizes;
determining from the database a statistically expected size
deviation for each implant size in the shipment; and assembling a
backup kit of backup implants for the shipment, the number and size
of the backup implants included in the backup kit determined from
the statistically expected implant size deviations.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein the backup kit includes knee
implants.
12. The method of claim 10, wherein each patient-specific
arthroplasty kit in the shipment includes a patient-specific
femoral alignment guide.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein each patient-specific
arthroplasty kit in the shipment includes a patient-specific tibial
alignment guide.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein each patient-specific
arthroplasty kit in the shipment includes a non-custom knee femoral
and a non-custom knee tibial implant.
15-24. (canceled)
Description
[0001] The present teachings provide a backup kit including backup
arthroplasty implants for a shipment of a plurality of
patient-specific arthroplasty kits for a plurality of corresponding
arthroplasty procedures at the same medical facility. The
patient-specific arthroplasty kits generally include
patient-specific alignment guides, custom and non-custom implants
and other instruments for use during an arthroplasty procedure. The
patient-specific alignment guides (and patient-specific implants,
when used) are designed and constructed preoperatively based on
three-dimensional digital images of the patient's joint that is
scheduled to undergo arthroplasty. The digital images of the
patient's joint can be reconstructed from medical scans of the
patient using commercially available CAD (Computer Aided Design)
and/or other imaging software.
SUMMARY
[0002] The present teachings provide a method for preparing a
backup kit for a shipment of patient-specific arthroplasty kits for
corresponding arthroplasty procedures scheduled at the same medical
facility. The method includes providing a database with data from
completed arthroplasty procedures that were performed using
patient-specific arthroplasty kits. The database includes
comparisons between preoperatively planned implant size and
intraoperatively implanted (actual) implant size. A statistically
expected implant size deviation from a planned implant size for
each implant included in the shipment is determined using the
database. A backup kit of backup implants is assembled for the
shipment. The number and size of the backup implants is determined
from the statistically expected implant size deviations.
[0003] The present teachings also provide a backup kit for a
plurality of patient-specific arthroplasty procedures scheduled at
the same medical facility. The backup kit includes a plurality of
backup implants selected for a shipment of a plurality of
patient-specific arthroplasty kits for the medical facility. Each
patient-specific arthroplasty kit is configured for corresponding
arthroplasty procedures at the same medical facility. The number
and size of the backup implants is determined from statistically
expected implant size deviations from planned implant sizes in the
corresponding arthroplasty kits using a compliance database. The
compliance database includes data from completed arthroplasty
procedures performed using patient-specific arthroplasty kits. The
compliance database includes comparisons between preoperatively
planned implant sizes and intraoperatively implanted implant
sizes.
[0004] Further areas of applicability of the present teachings will
become apparent from the description provided hereinafter. It
should be understood that the description and specific examples are
intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to
limit the scope of the present teachings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0005] The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes
only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations,
and are not intended to limit the scope of the present
disclosure.
[0006] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an exemplary patient-specific
arthroplasty kit;
[0007] FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a shipment of a plurality of
patient-specific arthroplasty kits similar to the patient-specific
arthroplasty kit of FIG. 1 according to the present teachings;
[0008] FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a backup kit for the shipment
of FIG. 2 according to the present teachings;
[0009] FIG. 4 is a flowchart for a method according to the present
teachings; and
[0010] FIG. 5 is an exemplary partial listing of a compliance
database according to the present teachings.
[0011] Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding
parts throughout the several views of the drawings.
DESCRIPTION OF VARIOUS ASPECTS
[0012] The following description is merely exemplary in nature and
is in no way intended to limit the present teachings, applications,
or uses. For example, although some of the present teachings are
illustrated for a knee implant, the present teachings can be used
for any orthopedic implant.
[0013] The present teachings provide a backup kit that includes
backup arthroplasty implants for a shipment of a plurality of
patient-specific arthroplasty kits for use at the same medical
facility for a plurality of corresponding arthroplasty procedures.
The patient-specific arthroplasty kits generally include
patient-specific guides, custom and non-custom implants and other
instruments for use during an arthroplasty procedure such as, for
example, cutting guides, drill guides, cutting blocks, fixation
pins, etc. The patient-specific guides and/or patient-specific
implants, if used, are designed and constructed preoperatively
based on three-dimensional digital images of the patient's joint
that is scheduled to undergo arthroplasty. The backup kit includes
backup implants of various sizes to be included with each
particular shipment. The number and sizes of the backup implants in
the backup kit are determined from a statistical analysis of
patient-outcomes that are stored in a compliance database, as
discussed below.
[0014] Generally, patient-specific devices including implants
and/or patient-specific alignment guides, resection guides or other
instruments can be designed preoperatively using computer-assisted
imaging methods. Three-dimensional digital images of the patient's
joint anatomy can be reconstructed from MRI, CT, ultrasound, X-ray,
or other medical scans of the patient's anatomy. Various CAD
programs and/or other software can be utilized for
three-dimensional digital image reconstruction, such as, for
example, software commercially available from Materialise USA,
Plymouth, Mich.
[0015] Various pre-operative planning methods and patient-specific
devices are disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent application
Ser. No. 11/756,057, filed May 31, 2007, U.S. patent application
Ser. No. 11/971,390, filed on Jan. 9, 2008, U.S. patent application
Ser. No. 12/025,414, filed on Feb. 4, 2008, U.S. patent application
Ser. No. 12/039,849, filed Feb. 29, 2008; U.S. patent application
Ser. No. 12/211,407, filed Sep. 16, 2008; U.S. patent application
Ser. No. 12/103,824, filed Apr. 16, 2008; U.S. patent application
Ser. No. 12/371,096, filed Feb. 13, 2009, U.S. patent application
Ser. No. 12/483,807, filed Jun. 12, 2009; U.S. patent application
Ser. No. 12/872,663, filed Aug. 31, 2010, U.S. patent application
Ser. No. 12/973,214, filed Dec. 20, 2010, and U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 12/978,069, filed Dec. 23, 2010. The
disclosures of the above patent applications are incorporated
herein by reference.
[0016] In the preoperative planning stage for an arthroplasty
procedure, a preoperative surgical plan is formulated for a
specific patient with interactive input from the patient's surgeon
or other medical professional. Imaging data of the relevant joint
anatomy of a patient can be obtained at a medical facility or
doctor's office using any of the medical imaging methods described
above. The imaging data can include, for example, various medical
scans of a relevant joint portion or other relevant portion of the
patient's anatomy, as needed for joint or other anatomy modeling
and, optionally, for determination of an implant alignment axis or
for other alignment purposes. The imaging data thus obtained and
other associated information can be used to construct a
three-dimensional computer (digital) image of the joint or other
portion of the anatomy of the patient, such as, the hip joint, knee
joint, etc. The three-dimensional digital image of the patient's
anatomy is also used to formulate a preoperative surgical plan for
the patient including, for example, location and orientation of
resections, removal of osteophytes or other protrusions, mechanical
alignment, deformity correction, ligament balancing, or other
preoperative planned procedures The preoperative surgical plan can
also include the design and construction of patient-specific
alignment guides, resection guides or other patient-specific
instruments, and, optionally, the design and construction of
patient-specific implants. Further, the preoperative surgical plan
can include the determination and selection of particular sizes of
non-custom implants, digital images of which can be viewed and
compared relative to the three-dimensional digital image of the
patient's anatomy on a digital display.
[0017] Generally, the patient-specific devices, whether implants or
instruments, are configured to match at least a portion of a joint
anatomy of a specific patient and are generally designed and
configured using computer modeling based on the patient's
reconstructed three-dimensional digital image of the patient's
corresponding joint anatomy. Each patient-specific device includes
a three-dimensional patient-specific surface that is configured to
conformingly contact and match a corresponding surface of the
patient (with or without cartilage or other soft tissue), using the
reconstructed three-dimensional digital image of the patient's
anatomy and the computer methods discussed above. In this respect,
a patient-specific device can register and nestingly mate with the
corresponding bone surface (with or without articular cartilage) of
the specific patient in only one position.
[0018] The three-dimensional digital model of the patient's anatomy
can be viewed on a computer display or other electronic screen and
can also be reproduced as a hard copy on film or other medium and
viewed by direct or indirect or backlight illumination. The digital
model can be sized for viewing on any appropriate screen size
(including handheld mobile devices, such as smart phones, PDAs or
tablets) and may be cropped, rotated, etc., as selected by the
individual (e.g., the surgeon) viewing the screen.
[0019] The surgeon's review of the surgical plan may include
implant selection, and/or a request for one or more
patient-specific instruments, such as alignment guides, resection
guides or other instruments to be used with the selected implant.
The patient-specific devices can be manufactured by rapid
prototyping methods, such as stereolithography or other similar
methods or by CNC milling, or other automated or
computer-controlled machining or robotic methods. The
patient-specific instruments, the selected implants and optionally
other disposable instruments can be sterilized, assembled in a
patient-specific kit and forwarded to the surgeon or the surgeon's
medical facility for implantation. The selected implants can be
non-custom implants of a size determined and approved by the
surgeon in the preoperative plan for the patient.
[0020] Many medical facilities (or surgeons) place orders
requesting multiple patient-specific kits for use by the same or
different surgeons at the same facility for procedures scheduled
for the same day or a few days apart. Referring to FIG. 2, an
omnibus patient-specific kit assembly 200 can include a plurality
of patient-specific arthroplasty kits 100 (100A, 1008, 100C, etc.)
for shipment to a single medical facility. Each patient-specific
arthroplasty kit 100A, 100B, 100C can be labeled with the patient's
name or identification number (ID), such as A, B, C, the
corresponding surgeon's name, X, Y, Z and the side of the joint for
the procedure, R or L for right or left, for example, or other
information. Additionally, each patient-specific component in each
patient-specific arthroplasty kit can also be labeled with the
patient's name, the joint side, etc.
[0021] The present teachings provide a method to design and prepare
a backup kit 300 (see FIG. 3) for an entire bulk order or shipment
that includes several patient-specific arthroplasty kits, as
discussed below. Accordingly, the present teachings reduce weight,
expense and unnecessary backup implant components for each
patient-specific kit while providing the surgeon(s) and or the
facility with sufficient oversize or undersize implants for the
totality of the procedures, rather than for each single procedure.
The determination of the number and size of additional or backup
implants to be included in the backup kit 300 is made using
statistical analysis of the size outcomes previous procedures which
are stored in a compliance database, as described below. Duplicate
size backup implants can also be included.
[0022] An exemplary patient-specific arthroplasty kit 100 for a
knee procedure is shown in FIG. 1. It will be appreciated that
similar kits can be prepared for other joints, such as the hip
joint, shoulder joint or other joints. The patient-specific
arthroplasty kit 100 can include, for example, a patient-specific
femoral alignment guide 110, a patient-specific tibial alignment
guide 118, a femoral drill guide 112, a tibial drill guide 120, a
femoral distal cutting block 114, a tibial cutting block 130, a
four-in-one femoral cutting block 116, and a tibial template 122.
The patient-specific alignment guides 110, 118 are single-use
guides and disposable. Detailed description of the patient-specific
alignment guides and associated methods can be found in the patent
applications referenced above (and incorporated by reference
herein). The various drill guides and cutting blocks can be
re-sterilizable and reusable, although disposable drill guides,
cutting blocks and other tools can also be designed. Additionally,
a set of trochar pins 132 and a set of spring drill pins 134 can be
included. Depending on the surgeon's preferences, additional tools
and/or medical products and supplies can be included, such as
cutting blades, bone cement, biologics, etc.
[0023] The patient-specific arthroplasty kit 100 can include a set
of arthroplasty implants, such as, for example, a femoral implant
150, a bearing 152 and a tibial implant 154, for an exemplary total
knee arthroplasty procedure, or other implant components depending
on the surgical procedure and the surgeon's preference. The
arthroplasty implants can be either patient-specific or non-custom
implants. Semi-custom arthroplasty implants, i.e., implants
including some patient-specific features and some standard,
non-custom features can also be used, as described, for example, in
commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/872,663,
filed Aug. 31, 2010, referenced above (and incorporated by
reference herein).
[0024] Referring to FIGS. 1-3, the implants or implant components
150, 152, 154 included in each patient-specific arthroplasty kit
100 can be non-custom components of a size selected during the
preoperative plan for the patient. Predominantly, the selected or
planned implant size is found to be a match and no change in
implant size is required intraoperatively. For the few cases that
the implant-size is found intraoperatively, for various reasons,
not to be the best match, a best match implant can be found in the
preoperatively prepared backup kit 300 with a degree of a built-in
or preoperatively determined degree probability, using a compliance
database 500, as discussed below. The backup kit 300 can include a
predetermined number of backup implant components. For illustration
purposes only, three different sizes for each implant component
150, 152, 154 are shown in the single backup kit 300 that
accompanies the patient-specific kit assembly 200. The selection of
number and sizes the implant components to be included in the
backup kit is discussed below with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.
[0025] An exemplary (but not necessary representative) portion of a
compliance database 500 is illustrated in FIG. 5. The compliance
database 500 can be generated from information collected for each
arthroplasty procedure for which a patient-specific arthroplasty
kit was provided. The compliance database 500 can include the
planned implant size, as well as the actual implant size that was
eventually used. Information collected and provided by the database
500 can also include date of the procedure, patient Identification,
surgeon name, the side (R right, L left) for the procedure and
other characteristics of the patient, such as, for example, weight,
ethnicity or race, gender, age or other characteristics that may be
of significance in selecting implant size or that can be factors
for a size deviation or mismatch.
[0026] The number of procedures scheduled for the same date can
vary, the norm being several procedures per day, although a single
procedure or eleven or twelve procedures in a single day are not
uncommon. In the exemplary illustration of FIG. 5, the implant
sizes presented are for a femoral component 150 of the
Vanguard.RTM. Knee Complete System, commercially available from
Biomet Manufacturing Corp., Warsaw, Indiana. The available sizes
correspond to mediolateral (ML) dimensions of the femur in mm. The
interval between sizes for the Vanguard.RTM. Knee, for example, is
2.5 mm for sizes ranging from size 55 to size 75. A size 80 mm is
also available. Similarly, nine sizes are available for the tibial
component 154 and seven sizes for the bearing 152 for the
Vanguard.RTM. Knee. Implanting the wrong size, i.e., implant
mis-sizing for the femoral implant 150 can result in excessive
mediolateral overhang, especially in women, and can cause
over-tightening of the knee capsule when a larger size is used.
Providing backup sizes (one size larger or one size smaller than a
planned size) for each and every implant in the shipment to the
same facility can be costly, wasteful and inefficient both in bulk
and weight. The compliance database 500 can be created and used to
reduce the number of backup implants for the shipment, while still
providing a high probability that the intraoperatively determined
implant size is the planned size or is included in the backup
kit.
[0027] The partial data presented chronologically in FIG. 5 may be
somewhat misleading in that they show a higher proportion of
mismatches between planned and actual implant sizes than is the
case when all the available data is considered for a longer period
of time. For example, Applicant's data for a period ranging from
Dec. 1, 2008 to Jun. 19, 2009 can be summarized as follows: 54
mismatches or implant size deviations for a total of 397
arthroplasty procedures, or a 13.8% (54/398) mismatch (or
deviation) rate. From the 54 mismatches, in 44 mismatches the
planned size was oversized (one size too big; rate 44/397=0.11) and
in 11 mismatches the planned size was undersized (one size too
small; rate 11/397=0.28). It is noted, however, that, according to
the present teachings, the compliance database 500 is updated
frequently or for each procedure performed, and that the contents
of the backup kit 300 can then be determined by statistical
analysis of the updated compliance database 500. For example, if N
patient-specific arthroplasty kits 100 are required for a single
day D in a medical facility M, and each patient-specific
arthroplasty kit 100 includes one implant of the type 150 (femoral
knee component), then the database is analyzed to determine the
proportion of higher and lower sizes that may be needed for a set
of N implants of type 150 and having a particular size. The
statistical analysis, in its simplest form, may be based on
percentages, or may include other considerations, such as reduction
of mismatches over time as the technology evolves, patient
characteristics, surgeon preferences, various weighing factors and
other parameters. The statistical analysis can also include a
specified contingency or probability coverage, i.e., what
percentage of all mismatch cases should be covered, such as, for
example from 98% or higher. Error analysis, standard deviation
analysis, data reliability analysis and other statistical methods
and algorithms known in the art can also be considered in the
calculations. It is also noted that the compliance database 500 can
depend on the characteristics of the implants and instruments used
and can, therefore, vary from manufacturer to manufacturer.
Accordingly, a relevant compliance database 500 can be generated or
otherwise available to be accessed for determining the backup kit
for a particular manufacturer according to the present
teachings.
[0028] As an illustration, the surgical schedule for the date Dec.
8, 2008 includes two R (right side) components of size 70 and three
R components of size 67.5. For these five components, based on the
11% chance of oversize determined from the compliance database 500,
one backup implant of size R67.5 for planned implant size R70 and
one backup implant of size R65 for planned size R67.5 may be
provided in the backup kit 300. Duplicative backup implants (backup
implant has same size as planned implant size) can also be included
in the backup kit 300 to account for loss of sterilization,
mishandling or other mishaps and accidents at the medical facility.
The number of duplicative backup implants can be determined from
statistical analysis of data included in the compliance database
500, or from other historical records or databases, or from surgeon
and/or medical facility preferences and requirements.
[0029] In some embodiments, the backup kit 300 may be prepared for
all the arthroplasty procedures performed at the same medical
facility M for a different period of time, a week, for example. For
the week of Dec. 1, 2008 to Dec. 5, 2008, for example, five L67.5
implants were planned. One backup implant of size L65 can be
included in the backup kit based on the 11% rate of oversize
mismatch. If the undersize mismatch rate is only 2.8%, as in data
presented above, a separate backup kit 300 that includes bigger
sizes for the lower chance of undersize planned implants may be
maintained at facility M to be accessed as needed and replenished
periodically. A backup kit with larger sizes for undersize planned
implants can be prepared, for example, using estimates based on
anticipated needs for longer periods of time, such as, per month,
quarterly, etc. Further, the rate of mismatch can be calculated
from the database for each particular size. For example, if the
rate of oversize mismatch is x % for a particular implant size N,
then for every hundred implants of size N (in mm) in one shipment
(a patient-specific kit assembly 200) of patient-specific
arthroplasty kits 100, an x number of implants of one size lower
than N, i.e., N-2.5, can be included in the backup kit 300. If only
ten implants are included in the backup kit 300, then x/10 implants
of the smaller size are included in the backup kit 300. The
statistically determined number of backup implants for each planned
implant size in the shipment (or patient-specific kit assembly) 200
of patient-specific arthroplasty kits 100 is not necessarily an
integer and can be rounded up or down to the nearest integer
number.
[0030] It will be appreciated that other backup implants can be
included in the backup kit 300, above and beyond those that can be
statistically required. For example, a surgeon may require a larger
size backup implant for any planned size below 60 mm. Such
considerations can be used to modify the backup kit 300 after the
backup implant components have been determined by statistical
analysis. In some cases, the contents determined by statistical
analysis may already satisfy the surgeon's or the medical
facility's additional requirements.
[0031] Referring to FIG. 4, a flowchart of a method of assembling a
backup kit 300 according to the present teachings is illustrated.
At block 400 a compliance database 500 is created or otherwise
provided for access. At block 402, an omnibus patient-specific kit
assembly or shipment 200 is prepared for a facility M. As discussed
above, the patient-specific kit assembly 200 includes a plurality
of patient-specific arthroplasty kits 100 that are scheduled to be
performed on the same day or within a specified number of days,
such as, for example, on the same forthcoming week. The sizes of
the various implants of the patient-specific kit assembly 200 and
corresponding patient-characteristic can be identified at block
404. A statistical analysis can be performed at block 406 to
determine the likelihood of deviation or mismatch between
preoperatively planned implant sizes and actual implant sizes as
predicted by the compliance database 500. Based on the results of
the statistical analysis, expected deviations in implant size,
i.e., the number of planned implants expected to be oversized or
undersized can be determined at block 408 and a backup kit of
implants can then be assembled at block 410. The compliance
database 500 can be updated at 412 with data from the new
arthroplasty procedures that have been performed.
[0032] As discussed above, a compliance database 500 of
preoperatively planned and actual (intraoperatively selected)
implants can be created from data collected from patient-specific
preoperative plans and actual arthroplasty usage. The database
provides details of mismatches or deviations between a planned
implant size and an actually used implant size. The information in
the database can be statistically analyzed to help determine the
number and sizes of extra of backup implants to be included in a
backup kit 300 for a plurality of arthroplasty procedures that are
planned preoperatively and include patient-specific arthroplasty
kits 100.
[0033] Example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure is
thorough, and fully conveys the scope to those who are skilled in
the art. Numerous specific details are set forth, such as examples
of specific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thorough
understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0034] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that
specific details need not be employed, that example embodiments may
be embodied in many different forms and that neither should be
construed to limit the scope of the disclosure. In some example
embodiments, well-known processes, well-known device structures,
and well-known technologies are not described in detail.
Accordingly, individual elements or features of a particular
embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment,
but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a
selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described.
The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not
to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such
modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the
disclosure.
* * * * *