Placing implant templates
Templates are scaled overlays of real implants — TPLO plates, LCP plates, and others. Once placed, the overlay represents the implant’s footprint at the scale you set when you calibrated the radiograph. That is the whole dependency: the overlay is only as accurate as the calibration behind it, so check the calibration before you rely on a fit.
Before you can place
Calibrate the radiograph first. The Implants tab will refuse to arm a template without a scale set.
Placing a template
- Open the Implants sidebar tab.
- Search or filter by brand, system, and screw diameter.
- Click the template you want. A translucent ghost appears on the cursor.
- Move to the position you want and click to commit.
The ghost is screen-aligned during placement — it doesn’t rotate with the X-ray. Once placed, the implant becomes anchored to the bone: if you later rotate the radiograph to view the leg differently, the implant rotates with it.
Cancelling placement
- Press Escape while the ghost is showing — cancels without placing.
- Right-click the canvas — same effect.
- Click the armed template’s sidebar button again — unarms.
After placement: the swap panel
When a placed implant is selected, its controls appear at the top of the sidebar’s Implants tab. From here you can:
- Switch sister variants — slide between hole counts and sizes within the same family. The implant updates in real time as you drag.
- Toggle Left/Right for side-specific implants.
- Toggle front/side view of the implant.
- Delete the placed implant (trash icon).
The slider is responsive — drag through 10 different variants and the canvas updates in lockstep. The implant’s centre position is preserved across swaps so you can iterate on size without re-aiming.
Adjusting after placement
- Move: click and drag the body of the implant.
- Rotate: drag either of the cyan circles at the implant’s ends.
- Delete: select it and press Delete or Backspace, or use the trash button in the swap panel.
Recently used
The Implants tab floats your most-used implants to the top in the Recently Used section — useful when planning multiple cases in the same family.
Accuracy notes
- Overlay dimensions reflect the manufacturer’s specifications encoded in the template library. If a template’s dimensions look off, report it — it’s almost certainly a library data issue, not a calibration issue.
- Screw hole positions are derived from manufacturer drawings where available. Visual screw placement is a planning aid, not a substitute for intraoperative judgement.