Surgery – Truss – Pad
Patent
1992-04-24
1994-11-29
Sykes, Angela D.
Surgery
Truss
Pad
128774, A61B 5103
Patent
active
053680448
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to a method and apparatus for the non-invasive evaluation of diseased or fractured bone, and in particular for identifying the structural integrity of long bones in-vivo.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
At present the clinician decides when the injured or diseased bone can resume normal unsupported function on the basis of physical examination, radiographs, the passage of time and patient evaluation of pain as a result of stress placed on the bone.
Vibrational analysis of bones has been used in the experimental environment for the examination of diseased and fractured bones and pathological orthopaedic disorders however the primary reason for the lack of acceptance of this method of bone analysis by clinicians has been the lack of reliability of the results. Most importantly the clinician has not been able to reliably assess from the results of tests when and if the bone under examination has regained structural integrity.
The lack of reliability and reproducibility of the prior vibrational analysis methods result from a number of factors identified by the inventors. These factors include insufficient range of excitation frequency, inappropriate excitation means, inconsistent detection and methodology of measurement, a lack of appreciation of the need to assess more than just one mode of excitation and the choice of unnecessarily complicated stiffness criteria for clinical evaluation.
Also of importance is the method of support provided to the bone under examination and the assessment of the effects of external or internal fixation devices which both contribute to the accuracy, reproducibility and practical clinical use of prior analysis methods and means.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore this invention aims to overcome the aforementioned problems and provide a method and apparatus suitable for use by clinicians primarily for the in-vivo monitoring of bone fracture healing but which may also be used for the assessment of other pathological bone conditions such as but not confined to osteoporosis, primary and secondary tumour deposits, other bone lesions, other bones and other bodily beam like structures such as teeth.
Preferably the apparatus comprises simple elements that are quick to apply and by adherence to the method of the invention, provides reliable, reproducible and accurate results which are consistent with empirical clinical evaluations of the structural integrity of the body element under examination by a method of comparison with a normal or contralateral body element.
In its broadest form, the invention is directed to a method for applying in-vivo a non-invasive vibrational motion to a selected fractured or diseased body element for determining the stiffness state of the selected body element, said method comprising the steps of: a) placing a vibration transducer means in firm mechanical contact with the selected element at an end region thereof for detecting vibratory energy, b) contacting a vibratory device against the selected element at a first location remote from said end region, c) driving the said vibratory device to vibrate over a frequency range between 20 to 2,000 Hertz at a predetermined rate of frequency change, d) using a computer device to store a first mode of vibratory response from the vibration transducer means, e) contacting the vibratory device against the selected element at a second location also remote from said end region, f) repeating steps c) and d) so as to store a second mode of vibratory response from said vibration transducer means, and g) producing a visual display for determining the difference between the peak frequency of each response mode and that of a corresponding reference mode representative of the stiffness of a normal body element to provide an indication of the stiffness state of the selected body element.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In order that the invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect, a preferred embodiment will now be described by way of example only with reference to the
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Cain Christopher M. J.
Pohl Anthony P.
Sykes Angela D.
The Adelaide Bone and Joint Research Foundation, Inc.
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