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Real-time surgery feedback could improve results of implant operations.
SAN CLEMENTE, Calif., Sept. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- A software grant that could lead to orthopedic surgeons being able to immediately gauge the effectiveness of implanted joints has been announced by LifeModeler, Inc. The company, a leading global provider of biomechanical human body simulation tools and services, will provide $400,000 of software and services to InMotion Musculoskeletal Institute and the University of Memphis, Memphis, Tenn.
The LifeMOD(R) grant will help the scientific staff at InMotion create kinematic models that will aid in the development of tools allowing surgeons to immediately test the fit of implanted devices such as knees, hips and spinal correction. Together, there were more than 900,000 such surgeries in the U.S. last year.
According to Dr. John Williams, director of biomechanics at InMotion and professor at the U of M Department of Biomedical Engineering, "This software could be developed to give nearly real-time data on how the implant will move in the body under different conditions like walking, climbing stairs and even playing golf."
Williams, and Dr. William Mihalko, the non-profit orthopedic laboratory's director of reconstructive research and orthopedic surgeon with the Campbell Clinic in Memphis, will define data sets based on clinical evaluations of soft tissues such as tendons and muscles surrounding the knee. Their work will supplement LifeMOD's "virtual" measures of soft tissue characteristics with data on actual, living tissue measured safely during surgery.
Surgeons normally must wait for post-operative recovery to evaluate in detail the full effectiveness of implant procedures. The potential for increasing patient mobility is greatly enhanced if surgeons receive real-time data during the procedure.
"The software doesn't make decisions for the surgeon, but it does give
potentially vital information to the surg
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| SOURCE LifeModeler, Inc. Copyright©2008 PR Newswire. All rights reserved |