Abstract: The present invention relates to free-form structures made by additive manufacturing, and methods for the manufacture thereof. The rigid free-form structures comprise a lattice structure which is impregnated by a polymeric or other material. The rigid free-form structures may be used in wound treatment, e.g. as a facial mask.

Abstract: The present invention relates to guiding instruments and methods for the manufacture thereof, for facilitating the positioning of an implant in a socket of a ball-and-socket joint, by allowing the positioning an alignment element such as a pin, wire, screw or drill.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an adaptable therapeutic, diagnostic or surgical guide for an intra-operative adjustment of a guidance element to a pre-planned position. An advantage and innovation of the present invention is that it provides a template or guide that adapts in a controlled way to a changed intra-operative anatomical situation compared to the default planned situation. This adaption maybe purely positional but it may also include force feedback. Feedback, either visual feedback or force feedback that results in an adjustment of a guidance element is also an aspect of the present invention. For example, the feedback can contain information either about the fit of the guide or template onto a bone (in case the guide or template fits onto one bone) or about the relative position of two bones of bone fragments (e.g. ligament tension between the femur and tibia).

Abstract: Methods are provided for generating intraluminal prosthetic implants designed to fit onto specific anatomical locations within regions which are stable in terms of their motion in time.

Abstract: The present invention relates to surgical guides, and methods for their manufacture. The invention provides surgical guides comprising at least one alignment element and at least two guiding elements. The alignment elements can constrain the guiding elements into an initial position which guides a surgical operation, and optionally at least one target position different from the initial position.

Abstract: A surgical kit for unicompartmental knee arthroplasty includes a unitary patient-specific unicompartmental tibial guide and a tibial drill template and other instruments. The tibial guide has a patient-specific body with an inner surface preoperatively configured to nestingly conform and mate in only one position with an anterior portion and a proximal portion of one compartment of a tibial bone of a specific patient. The tibial guide includes a drill guide portion preoperatively configured for drilling first and second anterior holes into the tibial bone for guiding a horizontal tibial resection. The tibial guide includes a vertical resection guide portion preoperatively configured for guiding a vertical resection through the tibial bone before the horizontal resection.

Abstract: The present application relates to surgical guiding tools that may be used for guiding a surgical instrument during bone surgery. A surgical guiding tool may include a body including one or more clamps configured to attach the surgical guiding tool to one or more portions of the bone, wherein a first clamp of the one or more clamps includes a snap-fit portion including a flexible structure for increasing a clamping force of the first clamp and allowing ease of removal of the surgical guiding tool from the bone. The surgical guiding tool may further include at least one aperture for guiding a surgical instrument. The present application further provides methods for manufacturing surgical guiding tools and uses of the tools for placement onto a bone.

Abstract: The present invention relates to calibration devices, the use thereof and methods for the in-line geometric and grey-value correction of data obtained from imaging N devices such as x-ray radiography. The calibration devices according to the invention comprise a set of two or more interconnected calibration components and a means for mounting the set of calibration components on the body.

Abstract: A method for (semi-) automatic dental implant planning (A) is described including (a) creating 3D models of a tooth setup (b) and/or creating 3D models of parts of the jaw, (c) detecting zones in the jaw where implants can (or optionally cannot be placed), (d) detecting restorative elements in the tooth setup, (e) determining candidate implant dimensions, positions, orientations and configurations, (f) obtaining implant plans, (g) comparing implant plans to each other or to given criteria, (h) selecting or improving an implant plan.

Abstract: A method and system are described for 3D digital endodontics characterized in that 3D imaging equipment such as a CT or MRI scanner, ultrasound or the like are used to digitize the infected tooth or teeth, a 3D representation of the root canal system is extracted from the image data and visualized on a computer screen, a surgical template is designed to guide the endodontic instruments to localize the root canal(s) intra-operatively and said guide is manufactured by means of a computer driven system (e.g. milling, rapid prototyping, etc.).

Abstract: Systems and methods for designing and generating a device using accuracy maps and stability analysis are disclosed herein. In some aspects, the systems and methods described relate to an apparatus for designing a device. The apparatus includes a processor configured to generate a three-dimensional model of a physical object and determine whether the three-dimensional model satisfies an accuracy threshold based on an accuracy map. The processor is further configured generate a simulated representation of the device, determine whether the simulated representation of the device satisfies a stability threshold, simulate a fit of the device on the three-dimensional model if the simulated representation of the device satisfies the stability threshold, and determine whether the simulated fit of the device on the three-dimensional model is within a tolerance threshold. The processor is further configured to generate an approved design of the device if the simulated fit is within the tolerance threshold.

Abstract: The invention features computer based methods and systems for obtaining information about tooth movement caused by at least one orthodontic element fixed on a dentition. The invention also features computer programs for generating, when executed, a method for obtaining information about tooth movement caused by at least one orthodontic element fixed on a dentition, as well as non-transitory machine readable storage media containing such computer programs.

Abstract: A computer based method is used to design a healing cap of an implant. The method is based on a 3D computer plan of the implant comprising digital representations of positions of implants in the mouth of the patient. The method comprises loading the 3D implant plan into a computer and combining the 3D implant plan with information about a prosthetic setup. The method determines a marginal edge of a healing cap of an implant based on a 3D representation of the existing patient anatomy, the 3D implant plan and the prosthetic set-up. The healing cap is then manufactured to the custom design.

Abstract: Surgical guiding tools for surgery on a bone head which include a cutting component, a guiding component and a collar having a patient-specific component are disclosed. The surgical guiding tools are interconnected which ensures secure and accurate placement of the guiding tool and thus guarantees accurate implementation of the pre-operative planning of the surgical intervention.

Abstract: A method and system for archiving 3D geometry information for a plurality of subjects, and on a particular part of the body (which may also be the whole body) is described. The method and system allow an organizing and an analyzing step, resulting in scalable characteristic components for the particular part of the body, and an approximation of the geometry of that particular part of the body for a specific subject by a combination of a sub-set of those characteristic components with corresponding scale factors, which are then stored.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a new and improved stereolithography method and system for generating a three-dimensional object by forming successive, adjacent, cross-sectional laminae of that object, thereby providing an object being specially processed to reduce differential shrinkage.

Abstract: An anchorage unit fits to a dental implant. A dental attachment for mounting to the anchorage unit has a first attachment part and a second attachment part. The attachment parts define an aperture for accommodating a portion of the anchorage unit with a boundary wall of the aperture on each of the attachment parts serving, in use, as a jaw for clamping against the portion of the anchorage unit. The aperture is of greater size than the portion of the anchorage unit to allow adjustment of the position of the attachment with respect to the anchorage unit. In another embodiment, a two-part anchoring assembly defines a pair of jaws for, in use, receiving and clamping against a portion of a dental attachment. The apparatus is particularly relevant when an attachment must be placed on more than one implant simultaneously.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a therapeutic, diagnostic or surgical tool, e.g. surgical guide frame for medical treatments, comprising: —a rigid structure, and —at least one functional guidance element (13), wherein the rigid structure comprises means for positioning and holding the rigid structure around a soft tissue area of a patient and includes means for compressing the soft tissue area surrounded by the positioning and holding means as well as to the use of such a therapeutic, diagnostic or surgical tool for medical treatments, especially in areas where the therapeutic, diagnostic or surgical tool, e.g. surgical guide is supported on soft tissue.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an adaptable therapeutic, diagnostic or surgical guide for an intra-operative adjustment of a guidance element to a pre-planned position. An advantage and innovation of the present invention is that it provides a template or guide that adapts in a controlled way to a changed intra-operative anatomical situation compared to the default planned situation. This adaption maybe purely positional but it may also include force feedback. Feedback, either visual feedback or force feedback that results in an adjustment of a guidance element is also an aspect of the present invention. For example, the feedback can contain information either about the fit of the guide or template onto a bone (in case the guide or template fits onto one bone) or about the relative position of two bones of bone fragments (e.g. ligament tension between the femur and tibia).

Abstract: A method and system for (semi-) automatic dental implant planning (A) is described including (a) means for creating 3D models of a tooth setup (b) and/or means for creating 3D models of parts of the jaw, (c) means for detecting zones in the jaw where implants can (or optionally cannot be placed), (d) means for detecting restorative elements in the tooth setup, (e) means for determining candidate implant dimensions, positions, orientations and configurations, (f) means for obtaining implant plans, (g) means for comparing implant plans to each other or to given criteria, (h) means for selecting or improving an implant plan.