Sensor offers diagnostic data on recent orthopaedic surgery

According to a statement, the sensor can provide the kind of diagnostic data more usually derived from X-rays or invasive procedures.

A study presented at the Orthopaedic Research Society 2012 Annual Meeting in San Francisco revealed that the technology could make post-surgical diagnosis and follow-up more precise, efficient and cost effective.

‘The sensor provides opportunities to make specific and detailed diagnostics for a particular patient and to tailor care based on very objective and quantitative measures,’ said Dr Eric H Ledet, assistant professor at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

‘This highly unique sensor is very small [4mm in diameter and 500 microns in thickness], wireless and batteryless and requires no telemetry within the body. Its simplicity makes it less prone to failure and very inexpensive to produce,’ said Ledet.

The orthopaedic implant acts as a carrier for the sensor. The wireless sensor can monitor load, strain, motion, temperature and pressure in vivo. It can be placed into a spinal or fracture fixation implant — for example, to determine the patient’s progress.