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Medical and health sciences
- Biomechanics
- Musculo-skeletal systems
Foot and ankle disorders significantly impair mobility and quality of life, necessitating precise surgical interventions. This project aims to enhance surgical precision and patient outcome results through the development of patient-specific, minimally invasive surgical guides. Leveraging weight-bearing CT (WBCT), 3D printing, and finite element analysis (FEA), these guides will be tailored to the individual anatomy of the patient, ensuring biomechanical stability and integration with standard surgical tools. The research project involves the design and development of the tools, followed by a preclinical testing phase on cadavers. This phase validates the tools prior to clinical trials, aiming to improve alignment accuracy and reduce complications. Results of the interventions will be evaluated using 3D WBCT imaging and patient-reported outcome metrics. This will contribute to innovation in orthopedic surgery and compliance with international medical device regulations (MDR).