DESCRIPTION

Technical Field

The invention is related to an implant production method which is fully suitable to the anatomy of the patient.

The invention is particularly related to an implant production method that can be customized, that can be advantageously shaped by being suitable to the anatomic structure of an individual or that can be shaped differently by deviating from the anatomical structure of an individual, using a putty and three dimensional (3D) production techniques.

Prior Art An implant, is defined as an inorganic substance implanted into the body and living tissues. Deformations such as contortion and fractures formed in one's bones due to any reason can be fixed with an implant.

Various improvements have been made in the technique related to producing implants. In the International patent document number WO2004110309 the known state of the art; a computer assisted implant design and production method is mentioned. In the method, anatomical data are obtained by three-dimensional imaging and the implant is produced by computer design using the obtained data.

In the United States patent document number US2013238096 the known state of the art; a 3-dimensional implant design and production method is mentioned. In the system, the three-dimensional (3D) image is obtained in order to create the implant and then a similar model of the volumetric changes of the area is formed and a virtual 3D implant design is provided with the help of the software. The designed implant is produced using the CNC machine or a 3D printer. In the United States patent document numbered US2006212158 the known state of the art; an implant production method is mentioned. In the method, a scanning device is used to determine a three-dimensional demonstration, to define the shape and digitize the shape parameters. The data obtained from the scanning device are introduced to the machine producing the implant with the help of a software program and the implant production is performed.

In the Turkish patent document numbered TR201604386 the known state of the art; a biodegradable membrane which is produced specific to an individual by means of a 3-dimensional printer or selective laser sintering is mentioned. The invention is related to a biodegradable membrane which is developed in the field of dentistry and oral implants, which is applied into the jaw bone and to the placement region of the dental implants serving as an artificial dental root, which provides for implanting of the tissues on the mould and the bone formation by forming and implanting an artificial tissue and bone mould from PGA (Polylactic acid)-PGLA (Polyglactin)- PCL (Policaprolactone) materials to be used in the guided tissue regeneration method, which is formed by the mould thawing in the blood to be discarded from the body after a while, wherein the membrane is produced by a 3- dimensional printer or selective laser sintering and is generally composed of the biodegradable mould which is formed privately by a 3-dimensional printer or selective laser sintering from PGA (Polylactic acid)-PGLA (Polyglactin) -PCL (Policaprolactone) materials whose design is created using 3-dimensional computer tomography, Micro - Ct (Micro Computerized Tomography) for the regional lacuna to which the implant is desired to be placed in the jaw bone tissue of the patient that has is weak, broken or destroyed, which enables to create new jaw bone tissues using the patient's own tissues that are placed onto said mould. In the Chinese patent document numbered CN105741354 the known state of the art; the production method of the femur model based on the 3D printing technology is mentioned. In this method, digital imaging data of a femur is obtained, this data is transferred into a computer environment and the desired shape is given by means of the design software. The obtained design is brought to femur form with the help of the 3D printer.

However, in the exemplary parent documents, the use of the three-dimensional printers takes place by obtaining images, and by means of graphic design programs and the participation of the persons having technical knowledge. This is a long process and the process is limited with bone structure.

In addition, the surgeon does not have the opportunity to make his/her own design regarding the shape and dimensions of the implant. When a new implant is to be made, the surgeon, engineer and the designer spend a long time with the design program. Together with the production of the implant suitable to the anatomical structure being difficult with design programs, the functionality is brought closer to an ideal functionality by providing the bending/twisting procedures or by providing the filing, cutting, part ejection procedures during the application or operation of the implant. With these procedures, complications such as the implant to slide, the bone to break and a void to be formed between the implant and the surface can take place.

In the making of any kind of implant sets, as customized anatomical sets cannot be produced, and as the surgeon cannot shape the implant according to his/her needs, a necessity has risen to develop an implant production method which enables to produce anatomically suitable implants or implants that can advantageously be shaped by deviating from the general anatomical structure.

The Purposes and Brief Description of the Invention

The purpose of this invention is to provide an implant production method which allows the surgeon to shape the implant with his/her hands. Another purpose of this invention is to provide an implant production method which is suitable to the anatomical structure and which can advantageously be shaped by deviating from the general anatomical structure.

Another purpose of this invention is to realise an implant production method without needing any design program to shape the implant.

With the subject method, the output of the anatomical structure of the patient to be operated obtained with the three-dimensional (3D) production techniques using the computer tomography data of the patient and the shaping technique of the surgeon by which he/she can produce the desired implant related to his/her experience according to this anatomy is united. Which means the opportunity to make and produce his/her own implant is granted to the surgeon.

Detailed Description of the Invention

The invention is an implant production method which comprises the steps of; obtaining the image of the anatomical structure to be processed with a three- dimensional imaging method characterized in that the method comprises the steps of; producing an anatomical replica of the obtained image using a three- dimensional production technique,

obtaining the implant replica on the anatomic replica using a paste which is soft, which can be easily shaped and which can preserve its shape thereafter, and whose image can be obtained by three-dimensional imaging techniques, digitalizing the implant replica with a three-dimensional imaging method, producing the implant from a biodegradable material by means of a three- dimensional production technique of the digitalized implant replica. In the method subject to the invention, the image of the anatomic structure to be operated is obtained with any kind of three-dimensional (3D) imaging technique (such as a 3D scanner, computer tomography, laser, CMM). The anatomical replica of the obtained image is produced with any kind of three-dimensional production technique (such as 3D scanner, CNC processing devices, lathe, EDM). Subsequently, the implant replica is obtained by shaping the anatomical replica with a paste which is soft, which can be easily shaped and which can preserve its shape thereafter released from the anatomical replica , and where the image can be obtained with any of the three-dimensional imaging techniques. With this procedure step, the need for the design program for forming the implant is eliminated.

By this means the surgeon can shape the implant with his/her hands easily according to the desired normal anatomical shape or desired extraordinary anatomical shape that cannot be made by design programs and he/she can therefore repair the damaged area. By giving the suitable shape according to the anatomical structure of the person, there is no need to perform the bending/twisting procedures or applying filing, cutting, part ejection procedures to the bone/tissue during the application or operation of the implant. Hence, complications such as implant sliding, bone fracture and a void being formed between the implant and the surface will not be faced and an extraordinary anatomical implant that has never been made by design programs can be made.

With the method subject to the invention, the exact overlap between the bone tissue and implant at the desired width and length is provided.

In addition, a fair bit of application capacity is reached by deviating from the anatomical structure in combining the partial structures (such as implants that can be used instead of the multipartite fractures, cranium fracture, jaw bone fractures, spinal fractures, bone deformities and cartilage tissues). As a result, the success rate in the surgical operations will increase, time and money will not be spent in reoperations and a contribution will be made to the country' s economy. In addition to all of these, successful operations will affect the psychological state of the patient in a positive way and it will decrease labour loss.