A methodology for personalization of humerus shaft plate.

Advances in engineering have widely been adopted as key enabling technologies in personalized orthopedics. This has led to a greater degree of personalization of medical devices such as fixators, implants, scaffolds, etc. Authors previously contributed to the field of personalized orthopedics through the development of the method of anatomical features (MAF). This study seeks to further innovate the established MAF and introduce a methodology for implant personalization. In this paper a method for the personalization of implants is presented on a personalized humerus shaft plate implant example. The methodology consists of two main elements Computer Aided Design (CAD) and Finite Element Analysis (FEA) model development. The first result of this paper is a parametric CAD model of a personalized huerus shaft implant. Its contact surface geometry is personalized so it can adapt to changes in length and width of the plate enabling a precise contact with the humerus. The second result is based on the creation of a FEA model which enables the definition of the relationship between the structural parameters and mechanical properties of the personalized implants through a response surface. This information could in the future be used by medical practitioners in the preoperative processes to select a personalized implant which is appropriate for the specific patient case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]