Implant-Agnostic Surgical Planning

Key takeaways

Most pre-operative planning today is tied to a single vendor: a robot plans onto its own implant, and the plan is part of how the implant is sold. Implant-agnostic or vendor-neutral planning breaks that link. The same computed-tomography-based engine can plan onto any manufacturer's implant library, so the surgeon is not locked to one system and the plan is not a sales funnel for one brand. This matters for two audiences: surgeons get freedom of implant choice and a consistent workflow, and manufacturers, especially those without a robot or a planning platform of their own, get a way to offer modern digital planning that works with their catalog. Under a manufacturer-pays model, the surgeon uses the software free and the manufacturer pays. Salnus is built around this approach, currently Research Use Only (RUO).

What "implant-agnostic" actually means

An implant-agnostic planner does the anatomy-and-plan work independently of the implant, then applies the chosen manufacturer's component library at the end:

1. Segment the bone from CT and build a 3D model.
2. Compute alignment, CPAK phenotype, rotation and sizing on the anatomy.
3. Fit the plan to whichever implant library the surgeon selects.

Because steps 1 and 2 are vendor-independent, the same plan can be expressed on multiple implant systems. The platform stays multi-vendor by design, which is precisely its value.

Why surgeons benefit

• No lock-in. The surgeon is not forced onto one implant or one robot to get a good plan.
• One consistent workflow across cases and implants, rather than a different interface per vendor.
• Transparency. A neutral tool can present alignment options and trade-offs without steering toward one product.

Why manufacturers benefit

For an implant manufacturer, the plan is strategically important: the plan increasingly drives which implant is used. Robotic ecosystems understand this, which is why their planning is tied to their hardware and implant. But that also means manufacturers without a robot or an in-house planner are at a disadvantage.

A vendor-neutral planner lets such a manufacturer offer modern, AI-based digital planning that works with its own catalog, without building a robot or a planning platform from scratch. It supports correct sizing and alignment, fits the surgeon's existing DICOM workflow, and, in markets pushing domestic production, closes the one remaining imported layer of the value chain: the planning software.

The manufacturer-pays model

The commercial model follows the value. The surgeon uses the planner free; the manufacturer pays, because the plan supports the choice and correct use of the manufacturer's implant. Pricing can be per completed plan, an annual platform fee, or a per-surgeon license, and it is anchored to what personalization already costs (for example patient-specific instrumentation) rather than to what a surgeon would pay out of pocket.

The honest caveat

Vendor-neutral does not mean uncontrolled. Data governance, regulatory pathway and validation still apply: Salnus is Research Use Only today, not a cleared device, and any clinical deployment requires the appropriate clearance and quality processes. Implant-agnostic is a positioning and workflow choice, and it does not remove the need for evidence and compliance.

Bottom line

Implant-agnostic, vendor-neutral planning gives surgeons freedom and gives manufacturers, particularly domestic and mid-size makers, a way to compete on digital planning with their own implants. The manufacturer can license it as a customer and present it under its own brand, which is the structure that holds up legally; the shapes that do and do not work are set out in the manufacturer-pays model for planning. Salnus is built on exactly this design, as Research Use Only software. If you are an implant manufacturer weighing this, see how Salnus works with manufacturers.