Partner news: Simpleware and Corin developing personalised hip replacements

March 30, 2017

The Exeter-based Simpleware product group, part of Synopsys, Inc., is helping the Corin Group achieve breakthroughs in personalising total hip replacement (THR). Simpleware software is being used for patient-specific computational modelling and the development of Corin’s OPS™ (Optimized Positioning System) in an effort to improve surgical outcomes.
Corin’s OPS™ technology now enables the surgeon to understand the individual motion profile of each patient before their surgery. This gives the surgeon the information required to identify, customise and deliver a personalised total hip replacement, specifically designed to optimise biomechanics and functional joint performance. This is driven by a simple imaging protocol which generates the key inputs to simulate the unique way in which patients perform their normal everyday activities.
The dynamic simulation used to optimise implant alignment requires the segmentation of three dimensional CT based images within the Simpleware platform. This allows key landmarks to be identified within the CT reference frame to appropriately position the implants and ultimately drive the simulation.
A significant amount of this process is automated via the scripting capability which allows this process to be consistently and quickly repeated by the production team on a large scale. Importing the implant geometries to an individual patient’s CT reference frame allows the Corin engineers to view the implants within a 3D environment, providing more detailed surgical planning compared to traditional 2D X-ray-based planning. The system outputs then provide the surgeon with an accurate alignment system which allows the patient-specific implant orientation to be reliably achieved during the operation.