News and Events

Leuven (Belgium), April 22, 2008. Materialise launched its innovative surgery planning software for orthopaedic interventions, SurgiCase Orthopaedics, at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) conference in San Francisco, March 5 – 7.

SurgiCase Orthopaedics is the second software derived from Materialise’ new SurgiCase platform. The first, SurgiCase CMF, introduced last year, is software for planning cranio-maxillofacial surgeries. SurgiCase’s purpose is to provide a comprehensive solution for its users, including surgery planning, the design and production of cutting and drilling guides, and the production of medical models.

SurgiCase platform

SurgiCase is the new CT/MRI-based surgery simulation software platform from Materialise.
It allows the surgeon to: 

• facilitate diagnoses
• virtually simulate surgeries on patient data with the highest possible accuracy 
• optimize surgical procedures before entering the operating room 
• improve the surgical outcome 
• reduce surgery time

This new platform comes in two different versions:

• SurgiCase Orthopaedics 
• SurgiCase CMF

SurgiCase Orthopaedics

SurgiCase Orthopaedics is a highly accurate, powerful 3D simulation environment for orthopaedic surgeries. It offers detailed pre-surgical information, in both 3D and 2D, allowing you to:

• accurately evaluate the patient’s anatomy 
• perform detailed measurements 
• plan osteotomies 
• relocate bone parts 
• size and fit implants 
  

SurgiCase Orthopaedics is the most accurate 3D simulation software available on the market. It enables users to try out different surgical approaches, display virtual post-op results and improve communication with the patient. What you see is what you get.

Once the physician completes surgery planning in SurgiCase Orthopaedics, custom-made surgical guides can be produced using additive fabrication technologies. These guides accurately transfer the planned treatment to the patient at the time of surgery. The patient-specific, intra-operative guidance systems aid in the performance of osteotomy and drilling operations and in accurately positioning bone segments according to the pre-operative plan.

Using computerized patient data collected by SurgiCase, Materialise can easily manufacture accurate physical 3D patient models as well. Precise anatomical models developed from scanning input deliver essential information for diagnostic, therapeutic and didactic purposes. Surgeons who use physical 3D models are convinced that these models reveal important discoveries about anatomy, which X-rays or CT and MRI scans can’t register.

SurgiCase Orthopaedics at AAOS San Francisco

Initial reaction to the new surgery planning software was very positive. Many surgeons see the need for software that can create 3D images of their patients’ pathologies; the images are very useful as a diagnostic tool. The software can be an even bigger help in putting together an appropriate treatment plan and testing different approaches towards the best surgical outcome for the patient. This reduces the need for intra-operative decision-making, which in turn minimizes operating room risks.

Thorough planning and perfect preparation can reduce surgery time drastically. These benefits were clearly demonstrated by Dr. Stockmans*, who is already using the software with great success. SurgiCase Orthopaedics’ excellent visualization and planning tools enabled him to treat a radius malunion, quickly and effortlessly transforming a complex osteotomy into a simpler procedure. The patient’s wrist was restored to full functionality in a significantly shorter surgery – an outcome that would not have been possible through traditional techniques.

*Prof. Dr. F. Stockmans, AZ Groeninge, Kortrijk, Belgium

SurgiCase, Materialise, and other names mentioned in this press release are registered trademarks and/or trade names owned by Materialise. These and all other trademarks and trade names used in this document are protected by trademark laws. No user has any right, title, or interest in those marks or names not previously expressly granted in writing to such user by Materialise.