Patent ID: 9603670
Date: 2017-03-28
CPC Classifications: A61B

Claim:
1. A method for designing and/or optimizing and subsequently manufacturing a plurality of different implants configured for fixation to or in a bone by means of one or more bone fixation elements, the method comprising: providing a general collection of three-dimensional bone quality data obtained from a variety of different bone or bone portions analyzed in an investigated patient population; identifying three or more categories in the general collection containing homologous sub-collections of bone quality data obtained from bone material of identical volume in identical anatomical positions of the investigated patient population, wherein each of said homologous sub-collections of bone quality data is different; designing and/or optimizing the plurality of different implants, wherein each one of said plurality of different implants is designed and/or optimized for a different one of the three or more categories identified in the investigated patient population, wherein each one of said plurality of different implants has a surface configured to be placed adjacent to or in contact with the bone, wherein each one of said plurality of different implants is provided with one or more through holes for receiving the one or more bone fixation elements, wherein each of said one or more through holes has a central axis, wherein each of said one or more through holes is located at an optimal place and with an optimal direction of said central axis relative to a respective one of said plurality of different implants, wherein said optimal place and optimal direction are chosen so as to obtain an optimal anchorage of one of said one or more bone fixation elements in the bone when introduced through one of said one or more through holes; and manufacturing each of the designed and/or optimized plurality of different implants.