Automated procedure to manufacture individual custom made implants, for use in cranio-maxillo-facial defects.
Type: Shared-cost RTD project.
Project Information
Coordinator
Imaging Arts Co.
Partners
Consorzio Padova Ricerche (Italy)
DAKOS SA (Greece)
Zisios (Greece)
EngineSoft (Italy)
Orotig (Italy)
Objectives
The objective of the project was to develop an automated low-cost processing procedure for manufacturing individual implants as as custom made prostheses and operation stencils. The procedure is based on computer tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance data. Geometrically precise models were designed on the basis of computed CT scans. The models were manufactured with CAD/CAM systems.
One of the leading ideas in the project was the combination of conventional "off-the-self" technologies in processing and manufacturing with novel data processing techniques, in order to ensure conformity with the medically required precision while maintaining an overall low cost. The processing chain is based on a software package developed by Imaging Arts Co. and is as follows: Data Acquisition → Image Processing → Geometry Processing → Manufacturing → Surgical Planning. The automation of individual tasks was made feasible due to the software modules developed. Additionally, the flow chart is following a standardized protocol and through the software it is possible to trace back all the steps of the manufacturing and processing procedure.
The project outcome, can assist industrial firms to cover the medical demands for low-cost individual implants and thus serve an important and growing market sector in the medical field.
Research conducted by Imaging Arts team
- Generation of the visualization, image processing and model generation software.
- Segmentation of CT images,
- 3D Model Generation from sparse data,
- AutoCad Compatibility
Imaging Arts team: Vasilios Chouvardas, Ioanna Chouvarda, Maria Psaltikidou
Personal involvement: coordination and development of the visualization software and the processing modules.
Other Technical Characteristics
Real Time 2D and 3D Graphics, Visual C++ and OpenGL for Windows NT, Object Oriented Programming, Sql Server Network Database Support, Communication Support
(CT Data) Bone Border at the location of a defect. Annotation lines (either free hand or of predefined shape) may be used on slices.
Generation of a 3D model of the bone. Appropriate lighting and interactive viewpoint is available.
