Patent ID: 9622712
Date: 2017-04-18
CPC Classifications: A61B,A61F

Claim:
1. A method of measuring the relative position of a bone implant within a bone in a patient to detect movement between the implant and bone, said method comprising the steps of: i) implanting a radiopaque bone marker into the bone, said bone marker having a first radiolucency detectable with medical imagery; ii) implanting the bone implant into the bone, said bone implant having a radiopaque implant marker inserted thereinto, said implant marker having a second radiolucency detectable with medical imagery; iii) using medical imagery to determine a first relative position of the bone marker to the implant marker for use as a first reference point; iv) applying a load to the bone; v) using medical imagery to determine a second relative position of the bone marker to the implant marker for use as a second reference point; and vi) determining a distance between the first reference point and the second reference point; wherein a distance greater than zero is indicative of movement of either the implant or the bone.