­Musculoskeletal disorders afflict the body's movement via damage to bones, muscles, tendons, and soft tissues. They are the leading cause of all healthcare visits to hospitals (65 million) and responsible for 63% of deaths in those over 85. In addition, more than 250,000 people suffer a femur fracture annually, which is expected to double by 2050. Femur reduction is used to repair broken bones via internal fixation. However, current methods for aligning the bone are limited to manual techniques that can lead to misalignment, suboptimal bone fusion, complications, and revision surgery.

Researchers at Rowan University are developing a software platform that uses 3D imaging to align the femur during reduction surgery. It comprises an optical tracker that uses four 3D positioning markers and cameras to align the bone and fragments. The inventors have created an advanced prototype and tested it on human patients showing the ability to align the femur for surgery.

Competitive Advantages

• 3D imaging platform for visualizing and calculating femur alignment before and during surgery.
• A prototype of the apparatus has been developed with proof-of-concept data from human subjects.
• Improve the alignment of surgery, thereby reducing complications and improving the patient's quality of life.
• Reduces the cost of surgery and minimizes radiation exposure.

Opportunity

• The market for guided orthopedics surgical devices was $320 million in 2019 and growing at a CAGR of 17% through 2030. 
• The enormous growth is due to a rising geriatric population with musculoskeletal disease and a rise in traumatic accidents.

Rowan University is seeking a partner(s) for further development and potential commercialization of this technology. The inventor is available to collaborate with interested companies.