Iwan Dobbe is bringing the benefits of modern 3D image analysis and printing technology to the clinic. As a researcher at the Biomedical Engineering and Physics department at AMC he devised a method for the design and production of a patient-specific plate for the alignment of bone segments. It requires a single CT scan, preoperative 3D planning, and 3D printing of a titanium positioning and fixation plate. As a result surgeons are able to accurately position bone segments while avoiding the use of intraoperative navigation equipment for the complicated task of 3D repositioning.
The IXA business developers provided Dobbe with valuable support, amongst others regarding the decision whether or not to apply for a patent.
“Assessing the financial viability of the patenting process is quite hard to figure out for yourself”, he says. Patenting seemed worth it, even though Dobbe’s patient-specific plate is more expensive than plates currently used. “We expect that health insurance companies will be persuaded to compensate when we demonstrate the cost reduction of the overall procedure.” To this end Dobbe recently started a validation project among 50 patients. He expects the outcome to be satisfying: “Faster surgical procedures, less malalignment associated problems and overall more effective revalidation. That’s what we want to bring to the clinic.”
How to make an impact with your research and what does it take to go from idea to product or service. Watch the video of Sue Gibbs, regenerative medicine ACTA / Amsterdam UMC. She explains how her research contributed in making a lasting impact.
About three years ago orthopaedic surgeon Olivier Temmerman approached the Physics and Medical Technology (FMT) department of VUmc. He had an idea to improve the surgical chisel for removing old cementing layers during hip prosthesis revisions. It was ‘a real pearl’ according to Micha Paalman, head of the development group at FMT. “Olivier had worked […]
With their user-friendly measurement instrument for the quantification of spasticity, Jules Becher and Jaap Harlaar aim to revolutionise therapy in children with spasticity. Becher explains that the cause of spastic muscles can be of neurophysiological or biomechanical origin, each requiring specific therapy. By employing three different sensors the new device can pinpoint the precise cause […]