Invented by Philipp K. Lang, Individual

Body Augmented reality (AR) display systems have been gaining popularity in recent years, especially in the healthcare industry. One of the most promising applications of AR technology is in the fitting, sizing, trialing, and balancing of virtual implant components on the physical body. The market for AR display systems for these applications is expected to grow significantly in the coming years. According to a report by MarketsandMarkets, the global market for AR in healthcare is expected to reach $4.9 billion by 2023, with a compound annual growth rate of 30.2% from 2018 to 2023. One of the main drivers of this growth is the increasing demand for minimally invasive surgeries. AR display systems can help surgeons visualize and plan surgeries more accurately, reducing the risk of complications and improving patient outcomes. For example, AR can be used to overlay virtual images of implant components onto a patient’s body, allowing surgeons to see how they fit and interact with the surrounding tissues before making any incisions. AR display systems can also be used to improve the accuracy of implant sizing. Traditionally, surgeons have relied on trial and error to find the right size implant for a patient. With AR, they can use virtual models to determine the optimal size and shape of the implant before surgery, reducing the need for multiple surgeries and improving patient satisfaction. In addition to surgical applications, AR display systems can also be used for prosthetic fitting and rehabilitation. By overlaying virtual images onto a patient’s residual limb, prosthetists can more accurately measure and fit prosthetic components, improving comfort and mobility for amputees. Overall, the market for AR display systems for fitting, sizing, trialing, and balancing of virtual implant components on the physical body is poised for significant growth in the coming years. As the technology continues to improve and become more widely adopted, it has the potential to revolutionize the healthcare industry and improve patient outcomes.

The Individual invention works as follows

Devices, methods and devices for performing a surgery step or procedure with visual guidance using an optic head mounted display are disclosed.

Background for Augmented Reality Display Systems for Fitting, Sizing, Trialing, and Balancing of Virtual Implant Components on the Physical Joint of the Patient

Computer assisted surgery, e.g. Pre-operative imaging can be used for robotics or surgical navigation. An external monitor can display the imaging studies and the patient’s anatomy. The information on the monitor can also be used to register landmarks. Hand-eye coordination can prove difficult for surgeons because the surgical field is at a different location. The surgeon has to view the information on the monitor from a different coordinate system.

Aspects include the ability to simultaneously visualize live data, such as the patient’s spine or joint. A digital representation of the patient’s spine and joint and virtual data, such as virtual cuts and/or surgical guides that include cut blocks and drilling guides, can be viewed through an optical head mounted monitor (OHMD). Some embodiments register the surgical site, including the live data of patient and the OHMD, along with the virtual data in a common coordinate scheme. Some embodiments overlay the virtual data onto the patient’s live data and align them with it. The OHMD is a virtual reality head system that blends live data. However, it allows the surgeon to view the live data of the patient. The surgeon can view the surgical field while simultaneously observing virtual data, such as the patient’s position or orientation, and/or virtual surgical instruments and implants.

The invention includes novel devices that allow a surgeon to perform a surgical step with visual guidance, using an optical head-mounted display. By displaying virtual representations for one or more of the following: a virtual surgery tool, a virtual surgeon’s instrument, including a virtual guide or cutblock, a virtual trial implant, a virtual implant component or virtual implant, or a virtual device. Rotation axis (flexion axis), extension axis (extension axis), predetermined axis for the virtual surgical device, virtual surgical instrument, including virtual surgical guide, or virtual cut block, or virtual trial implant. Aspects relate to an optical head-mounted display device configured to generate virtual surgical guides. In some embodiments the virtual surgical guides are a digital representation of at least one portion of a surgical guide in three dimensions. In some embodiments the at least one head-mounted display is configured for displaying the virtual surgery guide superimposed on a joint based, at least in part, on coordinates from a predetermined location of the virtual surgeon guide. The virtual surgical tool is then configured to align a saw blade or physical surgical guide with the virtual surgeon guide to guide the bone cut. In some embodiments the device includes one, two or three optical head mounted displays.

In certain embodiments, the virtual surgeon guide can be used to guide a bone in a hip replacement, knee replacement, shoulder replacement or ankle replacement.

In certain embodiments, the virtual surgical guides include a virtual slot to allow for either a virtual or physical saw blade.

In certain embodiments, the virtual surgical guides include a planar area that allows for alignment of a virtual or physical saw blade.

In some embodiments, a virtual surgical guide may include two or more virtual guides holes or paths that allow for the alignment of two or more physical drills and pins.

In some embodiments, predetermined positions of the virtual surgical guides include anatomical and/or alignment information for the joint. An example of this is the anatomical and/or alignment information for the joint. It can be based on coordinates of a joint, anatomical axis or biomechanical axis. Or combinations of these.

In some embodiments, at least one optical head mounted monitor is used to align the virtual surgery guide based upon a predetermined alignment of limbs. The predetermined limb alignment could be, for example, a normal mechanical alignment of a leg.

In some embodiments, at least one optical mount mounted display is used to align the virtual surgery guide based upon a predetermined rotation of a femoral component or tibial constituent. Some embodiments have at least one optical mount mounted display that is capable of aligning the virtual surgical guide using a predetermined flexion or slope of a component of the femoral.

In certain embodiments, the virtual surgeon guide can be used to guide a cut in the proximal foemoral bone based on a predetermined leg size.

In some embodiments, a virtual surgical guide can be used to guide a bone cutting of a distal toibia or a trochanter in an ankle joint replacement. The at least one optical mount display is configured for aligning the virtual surgical guides based on a predetermined alignment of the ankle, which includes a coronal, sagittal, and axial plane component alignments, as well as an implant component rotation, or combinations thereof.

In some embodiments, a virtual surgical guide can be used to guide a bone cutting of a proximal hip in a shoulder replacement. The at least one optical-head mounted display is designed to align the virtual surgery guide according to a predetermined alignment of the humeral implants component. This alignment may include a coronal, sagittal, and axial plane alignments for implant components, as well as combinations thereof.

In some embodiments, pre-operative or intraoperative imaging studies, one or more intraoperative measurements, or combinations thereof, determine the surgical guide’s predetermined position.

Aspects” of the invention concern a device that includes two or more optical heads mounted displays for two or multiple users. The device is designed to generate a virtual surgery guide. This virtual surgical guidance is a three-dimensional representation of a surgical guide in digital format. It is superimposed on a physical joint using coordinates of a predetermined location of the virtual guide. The virtual surgical guides are configured for alignment of the physical surgical and a saw blade to guide the bone cut.

Aspects of this invention concern a device that includes at least one optical-head mounted display and a virtual bony cut plane. The virtual bone cutting plane is used to guide a joint’s bone cuts. The optical head mounted LCD is designed to overlay the virtual bony cut plane onto a physical joint using coordinates from the predetermined location of the virtual bones cut plane. The virtual bone cutting plane can be used to guide a bone in predetermined orientations such as a predetermined varus, valgus, or a predetermined slope of the tibia or a predetermined amount of flexion in an implant component.

One aspect of the invention concerns a method for preparing a joint in a patient for a prosthesis. The method may include registering one of more optical head-mounted displays worn by a surgeon, surgical assistant, in a coordinate systems, taking one or several intra-operative measures from the patient to determine one, or more, intra-operative coordinates. Using the coordinates of predetermined positions of the virtual guide, creating a virtual surgery guide and superimposing it onto the patient’s joint using the one, more or all of the optical head-mounted displays.

In some embodiments, one or more optical head mounted display are registered in a shared coordinate system. The common coordinate system may be a shared coordinate scheme in some embodiments.

In certain embodiments, the virtual surgeon guide can be used to guide a bone in a hip replacement, knee replacement, shoulder replacement, ankle replacement or joint replacement.

In some embodiments the predetermined position the virtual surgical guides determines a tibial angle for the implantation of one of more tibial implants components in a joint replacement.

In some embodiments the predetermined position the virtual surgical guide is used to determine an angle for varus or valgus correcting a femoral component and/or a leg component of a knee replacement.

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