A method of evaluating soft tissue of a human joint which includes two or more bones and ligaments, wherein the ligaments are under anatomical tension to connect the bones together, creating a load-bearing articulating joint, the method includes: inserting into the joint a tensioner-balancer that includes a means of controlling a distraction force; providing an electronic receiving device; moving the joint through at least a portion of its range of motion; while moving the joint, controlling the distraction force, and collecting displacement and distraction load data of the bones; processing the collected data to produce a digital geometric model of the joint, wherein the model includes: ligament displacement data along a range of flexion angles and ligament load data along a range of flexion angles; and storing the digital geometric model for further use.

Proposed are a method of verifying matching of a surgical target, an apparatus therefor, and a system including the same, the method including: preparing a three-dimensional (3D) model including shape information about the surgical target; acquiring information about positions and postures of the surgical target and a target marker attached to the surgical target through a tracker; performing matching with the 3D model by deriving a correlation in position and posture between the surgical target and the target marker; tracking change in the position and posture of a probe tip moving along a surface of the surgical target; and generating and displaying matching verification information including a 3D graphic icon, which represents a relative positional relationship between the probe tip and the 3D model, corresponding to change in at least one of the position and posture of the probe tip.

A computer-implemented method for creating an activity-optimized cutting guides for surgical procedures includes receiving one or more pre-operative images depicting one or more anatomical joints of a patient, and creating a three-dimensional anatomical model of the one or more anatomical joints based on the one or more pre-operative images. One or more patient-specific anatomical measurements are determined based on the three-dimensional anatomical model. A statistical model of joint performance is applied to the patient-specific anatomical measurements to identify one or more cut angles for performing a surgical procedure. A patient-specific cutting guide is created that comprises one or more apertures positioned based on the one or more cut angles.

The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for robotic, computer-aided or virtual/augmented reality assisted procedures, including with use a of patient-specific or patient-matched, customized apparatus for assisting in various surgical procedures. In varying embodiments, patient-specific guides may comprise embedded markers, chips, circuits, or other registerable components for providing information to a robotic or computer-aided device. Other apparatus described herein may be aligned and/or matched with the robotic or augmented reality equipment or another apparatus during a surgical procedure.

A system and method for determining a location for a surgical jig in a surgical procedure includes providing a mixed reality headset, a 3D spatial mapping camera, an infrared or stereotactic camera, and a computer system configured to transfer data to and from the mixed reality headset and the 3D spatial mapping camera. The system and method also include attaching a jig to a bone, mapping the bone and jig using the 3D spatial mapping camera, and then identifying a location for the surgical procedure using the computer system. Then the system and method use the mixed reality headset to provide a visualization of the location for the surgical procedure.

Methods and systems for preparing a bone for a cementless joint implant are described. A first bone removal operation is performed using a burring device that has a first plurality of settings. The settings for the burring device are adjusted to a second plurality of settings, and a second bone removal operation is performed using the burring device. The adjustment to the settings may allow a surgeon to perform bulk bone removal in the first instance and fine bone removal in the second instance. The process of adjusting and performing subsequent bone removal operations may be performed any number of times during the bone preparation process. The adjustments to the settings may be received automatically from a computer-assisted surgical system, manually entered by a medical professional, or a combination of the two.

Systems and methods and for identifying a mechanical axis of a bone may include identifying an orientation of an intercondylar feature on the bone, projecting a plane based on the orientation of the intercondylar feature, and identifying the orientation of the mechanical axis of the bone based on the plane. The plane may contain at least a portion of the intercondylar feature and the mechanical axis of the bone therein.

Systems and methods for radio-frequency-based location determination in a draped environment can include an active beacon and a control device in communication with a plurality of radio frequency (RF) transceivers. The RF transceivers can be configured to emit an RF signal responsive to transmission instructions from the control device. The active beacon can be configured to transmit a modified RF signal responsive to receipt of the RF signal from any of the plurality of RF transceivers, where the frequency value of the signal from the active beacon is shifted by an amount from the received RF signal. The plurality of RF transceivers then receive the modified RF signals. The control device can be configured to determine a location of the active beacon based upon the received modified RF signals. The draped environment can include draping material that is substantially transparent to the RF signals.

Systems and methods for attaching a reference marker to a patient in a computer-assisted image-guided surgery system. An apparatus for attaching a reference marker to a patient includes an elongated member extending between a first end and a second end, a sharp tip located proximate to the first end of the elongated member that is configured to break through a cortical surface of a bone of the patient to enable the elongated member to be advanced into the bone, an anchoring device that is extendable from the elongated member in order to anchor the apparatus within the bone and inhibit relative movement of the apparatus and the bone, and a reference marker device comprising at least one optical marker configured to enable the apparatus to be tracked using a motion tracking system.

A fiducial marker includes a fastener and a feedback component to provide a registration signal when engaged by a probe. The feedback component includes light-up cap, a conducting component, a magnetic component and an RFID tag. A cap for registering fiducial markers with robotic surgical systems includes a housing, a socket in the housing for coupling to a fastener, an access port in the housing, a switch disposed in the housing proximate the access port, and a sensory indicator device coupled to the switch, wherein the sensory indicator device produces a signal when activated through the access port to confirm marker contact. Methods of registering a fiducial marker fastener, such as with robotic surgical systems, include manipulating a probe to align with a signal-producing feedback component attached to or integrated with the fastener, and engaging the feedback component with the probe to activate a sensory feedback indicator.