Advanced software tools for planning the placement of skeletal fixation hardware

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Physical Sciences Inc. and its collaborators at Medical Modeling Inc. and the Brigham and Women's hospital propose to develop software for planning maxillofacial surgery. The software will complement the OsteoMark system under development at PSI and will be integrated with the current surgical planning process used by many surgeons. Current software for planning maxillofacial procedures allows identification of osteotomies and movement of fragments but does not allow easy incorporation of fixation hardware or distractors. Plate shaping and screw placement are done by one of a few vendors using engineering computer-aided design software. In this program, we will develop a set of format standards that will describe the geometric, movement, and deformability characteristics for fixation hardware from virtually any vendor. We will develop software tools for placement and bending of fixation plates on a virtual model, and will test the algorithm on plates from multiple vendors. The new algorithms will allow rapid evaluation of many plate options from different vendors to select the best for each patient. Initially to be used by planners, it will provide clinicians with better options with less planning time and hence lower cost. As treatment planning software evolves, automated features such as these will make it possible for clinicians to do more planning at their desks. Better planning for surgery in the face and other parts of the skeleton will lead to reduced time and cost and improved aesthetic and functional outcomes.