Problem

During cervical arthrodesis surgeries, screws are inserted to stop the movement of a painful vertebral segment. This procedure is very delicate and requires a lot of expertise from the doctors due to the proximity of vital anatomical parts such as the spinal cord and the vertebral artery.

To make sure the screw is inserted in the right place, X-ray images are taken every time the screw advances into the tissue. This takes a lot of time and expose both the patient and surgical team to big amounts of radiation.

Opportunity

Find a solution that reduces the operating time and the radiation exposure of both patient and healthcare professionals leading to a safer approach.

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Solution

I designed a biocompatible 3D printed personalized guide that can be sterilized and used inside the operating room in direct contact with organic tissues. These guides help the surgeon and remove the need of having to take that many X-ray images leading to a safer procedure for all.

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Design process

Using the results from the computed tomography scan of the patient, a segmentation process is performed selecting only the parts of clinical interest. Guides are then designed and personalised to each vertebrae shape of the patient with tubes that have the right inclinations and orientations of where the screw needs to go. By inserting the screws through the tubes, surgeons reach the perfect position of the screw without touching the spinal cord.

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Encountered challenges

Certification and validation of the guides, as they are classified as a personalized class II medical device and no clear regulations existed at the time of the project.