The present disclosure is directed to a method of surgery, such as knee replacement surgery and hip replacement surgery that achieves optimal implant sizing and placement within a surgically repaired joint.

Implantable sensors for determining bone health that can be utilized in conjunction with orthopedic implants are described. The sensors can include passive strain gauges or passive chemical sensors that can be read by radiographic imaging techniques. Sensors can be affixed to implantable support devices so as to non-invasively monitor the effect of load on the implant; for instance, to provide a quantitative assessment of when a fracture is sufficiently healed to allow safe weight-bearing upon the limb. Alternatively, sensors can monitor the health of a local implant area; for instance, to monitor the implant area of early stage infection or healing of a fusion procedure.

A system for monitoring a joint of a patient includes multiple sensors to be disposed near a joint and to measure or observe actions or physical quantities associated with the joint; and at least one communications module coupled to the sensors to receive data from the sensors and to transmit sensor information to an external device. The system also includes a patient device and clinician device which can be used to, for example, monitor and display information obtained from the sensors, determine range of motion measurements from the sensor data, show progress in physical therapy, take a photograph or video of the site on the patient, obtain a pain score, and include friends for providing encouragement during physical therapy.

The invention relates to a method of determining the laxity of a joint (9, 15) of a human (5) or an animal. The method comprises providing at least one patient-specific geometrical model (1) of at least one bone and/or at least one prosthesis comprised by the joint. Known loads are applied to the joint or to a part of the body connected to the joint, and a series of actual images (16) of the joint are obtained while the loads are applied. Then the at least one patient-specific geometrical model (1) is registered onto the actual images (16). Based thereon relative displacement and/or rotation of the at least one bone and/or at least one prosthesis is calculated as a function of the applied loads, and based thereon a measure of the laxity of the joint is determined. The invention further relates to a system for performing such a method and to a computer readable medium for performing such a method.

A load balance and alignment system is provided to assess load forces on the vertebra in conjunction with overall spinal alignment. The system includes a spine instrument having an electronic assembly and a sensorized head. The sensorized head can be inserted between vertebra and report vertebral conditions such as force, pressure, orientation and edge loading. A GUI is therewith provided to show where the spine instrument is positioned relative to vertebral bodies as the instrument is placed in the inter-vertebral space. The system can report optimal prosthetic size and placement in view of the sensed load and location parameters including optional orientation, rotation and insertion angle along a determined insert trajectory.

A posture estimation device includes an acquisition part acquires information of angular velocities and accelerations from a plurality of sensors that detects angular velocities and accelerations and that are attached to a plurality of locations on an estimation object, a conversion part that converts information acquired by the acquisition part into information of a standard coordinate system from a sensor coordinate system, an integrating part that calculates an orientation of a reference area of the estimation object as a part of a posture of the estimation object by integrating the converted angular velocities, and a correction part, assuming a representative plane passing through a reference area included in the estimation object, corrects the converted angular velocities of the reference area so that a normal line of the representative plane and an orientation of the reference area calculated by the integrating part approaches to directions that are perpendicular to each other.

A medical apparatus includes a model-image generating section configured to generate a model image obtained by modeling a shape of an inside of a subject, a coordinate calculating section configured to detect a three-dimensional position of a feature point of the inside of the subject, set a polar coordinate on the basis of a position of the feature point, and calculate an arbitrary three-dimensional position of the inside of the subject according to the polar coordinate, and an image generating section configured to show the arbitrary three-dimensional position of the inside of the subject on the model image on the basis of one angle component among components of the polar coordinate calculated by the coordinate calculating section and a value obtained by correcting the one angle component according to another angle component.

A early detection device to diagnose scoliosis in adolescents without exposure to harmful x-rays provides a portable, accurate and inexpensive hand-held diagnostic tool to determine deviations from the Cobb Angle in the spine, the detection device connecting to a receiver unit to receive data obtained from the detection device completing the diagnostic testing for visual review and diagnosis on the receiver unit. It is also provided in alternative embodiment to test the integrity of structural components in various industries, including surface irregularities and defects and cracks in beams and wall, pipes or beams.

A person support apparatus supports a person in a laying-down or a seated position. One or more body-mounted sensors detect changes in the position of the person relative to a reference. A control system receives output from the body-mounted sensor or sensors through a remote coupling. The control system uses patient position information obtained from the body-mounted sensors to determine whether the person has experienced a change-in-position and/or a change-in-activity event. Alternatively or in addition, the position of the person situated on a person support apparatus is detected using one or more sensors that are not body-mounted, but rather are coupled to the person support apparatus or to another component of a patient support system. The patient position information is used to estimate the patient's torso angle. The estimated torso angle is used to assess the patient's condition.

An apparatus for evaluating motions of a joint is provided that is designed for determining stability of an anatomical joint. The apparatus includes a support frame, a fixation assembly for securing a first body segment of a joint, and a displacement assembly mounted to the support frame. The fixation assembly includes an axis of rotation moveable relative to the support frame. The displacement assembly includes a first frame pivotably mounted to the support frame and rotatably connected to a first end of the fixation assembly, and a second frame pivotably mounted to the support frame and rotatably connected to a second end of the fixation assembly. The apparatus can further include a pivot joint pivotably supporting the support frame whereby the support frame defines and is laterally pivotable within a support frame pivot plane.