Vendors to collaborate to bring AI to orthopedic planning

A new agreement between two vendors aims to bring artificial intelligence to tools used to plan orthopedic surgeries.

The agreement between Zebra Medical Vision and DePuy Synthes aims to facilitate surgeries by giving doctors digital pre-operative surgical planning tools that are easily accessible and more affordable.

The companies formed a co-development and commercialization agreement to improve the use of two-dimensional images and data for pre-operative planning. The goal is to provide a cloud-based approach that can assist orthopedic surgeons worldwide.

While three-dimensional models of bones and joints are important for diagnosis and surgical planning, that hands-on method for preparation is expensive and typically slow to make models. In addition, 3-D imaging is costly, less available and associated with higher levels of radiation.


Clinicians typically use two-dimensional CT scans or MRI imaging for pre-operative planning. CT scans and MRI imaging can be expensive, and CT scans are associated with more radiation and are uncomfortable for some patients. Zebra-Med’s technology uses algorithms to create three-dimensional models from X-ray images. This technology aims to bring affordable pre-operative surgical planning to surgeons worldwide without the need for traditional MRI or CT-based imaging.

With the agreement, Zebra-Med’s technology will bring affordable preoperative surgical planning to surgeons worldwide, without the need for traditional MRI or CT-based imaging. Zebra-Med is expanding its tools to provide assistance to specialists in areas like orthopedics, trauma and spine care, aiming to enable the use of AI solutions, to promote more precise planning, reduce waste and enable the use of personalized solutions.

Zebra-Med’s technology is planned to be introduced as part of DePuy Synthes’ VELYS Digital Surgery solutions for pre-operative, operative, and post-operative patient care.