Abstract: A patient-specific tool for performing a knee osteotomy procedure on a patient's tibia bone, the patient's tibia bone having a wedge opening defining a top interior surface and a bottom interior surface, the tool comprising: a body including a wedge element sized and shaped to fit in the wedge opening, the wedge element having at least one bone contacting surface having contours complementary in shape to surface contours of the top and bottom interior surfaces of the patient's tibia bone.

Abstract: A surgical kit for performing a bone surgery, the surgical kit comprising an anchor module configured to be secured to a patient's bone with a removable module interface extending outwardly from an operative side of the anchor module; a cutting module configured to be superposable against the patient's bone, the cutting module having a slot extending therethrough along a plane and opening on a cutting module bone interface side and a cutting module operative side, wherein a bone-contacting surface of the anchor module is configured to contact the patient's bone on both sides of the plane; the cutting module being spaced from the anchor module by an open space, with and first and second connecting members connecting the cutting module to the anchor module.

Abstract: According to an aspect, a spacing element for spacing a fixation plate away from a bone to which the fixation plate is secured is provided. The spacing element has a body with a bone interface side and a plate interface side and sidewalls extending thereinbetween, said bone interface side having a bone contacting surface having contours conforming to surface contours of the bone. A corresponding fixation plate, fixation plate kit, and method for designing a patient-specific spacing element are also provided.

Abstract: A fixation plate for securing an opening formed in a bone is provided. The fixation plate includes: a body securable to the bone, the body having a bone interface side and an outward facing side; and a wedge element extending from the bone interface side of the body for inserting into the opening formed in the bone. The wedge element is shaped to conform to contours of the opening formed in the bone. In some embodiments, the wedge element is provided with an evolutive canal. A corresponding method for designing a patient-specific fixation plate is also provided.

Abstract: A surgical guide assembly for performing a knee osteotomy procedure, the assembly comprising: a body for securing to a patient's tibia bone; and a plurality of guide modules removably attachable to the body, each guide module being adapted to receive a corresponding surgical tool and to guide the corresponding surgical tool along a predetermined path during the knee osteotomy procedure.

Abstract: A bone resection guide for removal of a portion of a bone of a patient. The bone resection guide includes a resecting section and a drilling section. The resecting section has a bone-facing surface, an extension engaging surface, opposed to the bone-facing surface, and at least one resecting slot extending therethrough between the bone-facing surface and the extension engaging surface. The drilling section has a connecting surface, a tool engaging surface, opposed to the connecting surface, and a plurality of guiding bores extending therethrough from the tool engaging surface to the connecting surface. The drilling section is engageable with the resecting section with the connecting surface of the drilling section facing the extension engaging surface of the resecting section and the plurality of guiding bores being aligned with the at least one resecting slot when the drilling and resecting sections are engaged and secured together.

Abstract: A guide for guiding drill bits to form holes in a bone in a predetermined pattern for receiving fasteners to secure an implant to the bone is provided. The guide includes a guide body having a bone interface side opposite an operative side, the bone interface side having a bone contacting surface engageable with a surface of the bone. The guide also includes a plurality of drill guides extending from the operative side of the guide body for guiding corresponding drill bits, wherein the bone contacting surface of the guide body is configured to substantially conform to surface contours of the bone at a predetermined position on the bone. A method of designing the guide is also provided.

Abstract: A surgical kit and method for milling a bone, the surgical kit including: a rotatable milling tool including a receiving bore with an abutment portion; a positioning pin insertable in the bone for guiding the milling tool along a milling axis and towards the bone, the positioning pin including a pin shaft receivable in the receiving bore and a pin depth determination element, the pin shaft being abuttable against the abutment portion of the milling tool; and a bone milling guide positionable at a predetermined location on the bone for guiding the positioning pin when the positioning pin is inserted into the bone, the bone milling guide including a pin shaft guiding channel for receiving the pin shaft and a guide depth determination element cooperable with the pin depth determination element to provide an indication that the positioning pin is inserted in the bone at a predetermined depth.

Abstract: There is disclosed a method for printing an article by additive manufacturing comprising providing an additive manufacturing system and a support plate having a block engagement location; engaging a support block having an article-printing surface with the support plate at the block engagement location; engaging the support plate with the additive manufacturing system; additive manufacturing an article on the article printing surface of the support block engaged with the support plate; and disengaging, from the support plate, the support block having the article printed thereon. There is also disclosed corresponding additive manufacturing support assembly, additive manufacturing kit and additive manufacturing assembly.

Abstract: A bone resection guide for the resection of a bone of a patient. The bone resection guide comprises a body and a resection alignment guide. The body extends between a tool engaging surface and a bone-facing surface superposable to the bone of the patient and is removably securable to the bone of the patient with the bone facing surface superposed thereto. The resection alignment guide defines at least one resection plane and extends along a resection path. The resection alignment guide comprises a plurality of guiding bores extending from the tool engaging surface into at least a section of the body, along the resection path. A method for performing a resection of a portion of a bone of a patient is also provided.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a surgical cut validation tool is discussed. A digital bone representation representing a bone is received including a virtual bone outer surface. At least one cutting plane is positioned intersecting the virtual bone outer surface. A digital tool representation representing the tool is created, including a virtual planar surface corresponding to each cutting plane and a virtual tool outer surface with a virtual border surface portion. The virtual border surface portion extends from a junction between the virtual tool outer surface and each virtual planar surface. At least part of the virtual border surface portion is defined from a corresponding portion of the virtual bone outer surface such as to represent a corresponding portion of the bone outer surface. The tool body is manufactured using the digital tool representation. A tool and a method of validating a cut in a bone are also provided.

Abstract: There is described herein an image segmentation technique using an iterative process. A contour, which begins with a single point that expands into a hollow shape, is iteratively deformed into a defined structure. As the contour is deformed, various constraints are applied to points along the contour to dictate its rate of change and direction of change are modified dynamically. The constraints may be modified after one or more iterations, at each point along the contour, in accordance with newly measured or determined data.

Abstract: System and method for active contour segmentation where an image for a structure and an initial position on the image are received, a multi-scale image representation including successive image levels each having associated therewith a representation of the image is computed, a representation of the image at a given image level having a different image resolution that that of a representation of the image at a subsequent level, a given one of the levels at which noise in the image is removed is identified, the initial position is set as a current contour and the given level as a current level, the current contour is deformed at the current level to expand into an expanded contour matching a shape of the structure, the expanded contour is set as the current contour and the subsequent level as the current level, and the steps are repeated until the last level is reached.

Abstract: A phantom for a medical imaging system with a matrix of spherical hollow elements is provided, with adjacent ones of the elements of a same row being interconnected by and in fluid communication through a hollow tube extending therebetween, with each element being filled with a contrasting solution. Also, a phantom is provided having a plurality of groups of interconnected hollow elements received within a sealed enclosure with the elements of a same one of the groups being in fluid communication with one another and the elements of different ones of the groups being sealed from one another, and the elements of at least one of the groups being filled with a fluid more contrasting than the fluid filling the elements of at least another one of the groups. A method of correcting patient images is also provided.

Abstract: There is provided a device for supporting an object during machining thereof, the object having a first object surface having a patient-specific configuration and a second object surface opposite the first object surface. The device comprises a support member adapted to support the object, the support member having a support surface shaped using patient-specific modeling and configured to matingly engage at least a portion of the first object surface for exposing the second object surface for machining thereof.

Abstract: A computer implemented method for performing bone segmentation in imaging data of a section of a body structure is provided. The method includes: Obtaining the imaging data including a plurality of 2D images of the section of the body structure; and performing a multiphase local-based hybrid level set segmentation on at least a subset of the plurality of 2D images by minimizing an energy functional including a local-based edge term and a local-based region term computed locally inside a local neighborhood centered at each pixel of each one of the 2D images on which the multiphase local-based hybrid level set segmentation is performed, the local neighborhood being defined by a Gaussian kernel whose size is determined by a scale parameter (?).

Abstract: There is described herein an image segmentation technique using an iterative process. A contour, which begins with a single point that expands into a hollow shape, is iteratively deformed into a defined structure. As the contour is deformed, various constraints are applied to points along the contour to dictate its rate of change and direction of change are modified dynamically. The constraints may be modified after one or more iterations, at each point along the contour, in accordance with newly measured or determined data.