Ao Technology Ag

Stefano Brianza

Ronald Schwyn

Damiano Schiuma

Andrea Tami

A method for designing and/or optimizing an implant that has one or more through holes with a central axis for receiving a bone fixation element. The method includes: providing a general collection of three-dimensional bone quality data obtained from a patient population; identifying in the patient population N&#x3e;2 categories of patients with significantly different N&#x3e;2 homologous sub-collections of bone quality data; and designing an implant or optimizing an existing implant for each of the N&#x3e;2 sub-collections such that the at least one through hole is located at an optimal place and with an optimal direction of the central axis relative to the implant. The optimal position and direction is chosen based on each of the N&#x3e;2 sub-collections of data so as to obtain an optimal anchorage of the bone fixation element in the bone when introduced through the through hole.

Method for designing and/or optimizing a surgical device

Surgical instrument () comprising a longitudinal shaft () with a tip portion (), a rear portion () and a longitudinal axis () and rotatable in the clock-wise and in the counter-clockwise direction around the longitudinal axis (), said surgical instrument () further comprising: A) first means () for drilling a hole in a bone by rotation of the shaft () in one of the two directions; B) second means () for crushing bone tissue when the shaft () rotates in the other of the two directions; and C) a torque sensor () coupled to the shaft (). Method for measuring the local mechanical resistance of a porous body comprising the steps of: a) drilling a hole to a desired depth into a porous body by advancing and rotating the shaft () in a first sense of rotation, preferably clockwise so that said first means () are active; b) hammering the shaft () gently further into the porous body as far as the tip portion () of the shaft () has reached a desired measuring position; and c) performing the torque measurement by rotating the shaft () in the opposite second sense of rotation, preferably counter-clockwise so that said second means () are active.

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Davos Dorf, Switzerland

Stefano Brianza