Design Automation of Lattice-based Customized Orthopedic for Load-bearing Implants

Abstract

Introduction: Additive Manufacturing (AM) has emerged as a central factor in the transformation of the healthcare industry, as it has allowed the improvement of patient care in several clinical areas. In orthopedics, surgeons have reduced the invasiveness of surgical interventions, which can now be performed relying on customized tools specifically manufactured for the patient, and have improved the surgical outcome [1]. Patients’ safety and satisfaction have consequently seen an increase in the last years [2]. More importantly, because AM allows for the rebuilding of severely damaged bones and the restoration of joint kinematics that would otherwise be untreatable, it is directly helping to the advancement of the medical field. In this scenario, the diffusion of custom orthopedic prostheses is hindered by the effort required to design such specific devices, whose shape and features are influenced by the patient's anatomy and anamnesis. Indeed, the design phase of such devices is cumbersome and time-consuming, as it involves different human skills (medical and engineering) and resources (medical imaging and 3D modeling software systems). This ultimately leads to a timeconsuming process that implies significant costs. The goal of the present work is to optimize and automate the design phase and 3D modeling of custom orthopedic implants, with the aim of making such devices more and more accessible, safer and with better performances compared to the state of the art. Specifically, regarding the automation of orthopedic implant design, an algorithm has been developed within nTopology [3] that is able to generate the 3D model of pelvic prosthesis in 2±0.15 minutes starting from simple CAD inputs. The goal is to develop a simple and effective tool within the reach of non-expert CAD users, reduce design time and the related costs.