Acetabular Cup Augments With Guided Defect Preparation
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Solution Overview
Problem
In joint replacement surgeries, particularly revision procedures, bone defects near the joint are often irregularly shaped and require unguided preparation with common surgical instruments, leading to unpredictable and non-uniform bone loss, which complicates the implantation of prosthetic components and may necessitate additional bone removal.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the use of a drill bit to form voids with a specific geometry, followed by the insertion of a void filler that forms a working relationship with an acetabular cup implant, secured by bone screws, to augment bone defects, utilizing porous surfaces for bone ingrowth and potentially adhesive contact.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If unguided preparation with common surgical instruments is used to fill irregularly shaped bone defects, then the procedure can be performed with standard equipment, but the bone loss becomes unpredictable and non-uniform, complicating implantation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a custom-fit augment as an intermediary component between the irregular bone defect and the prosthetic implant. The augment is specifically contoured to match the unique geometry of the patient's bone defect, serving as a mediator that transforms the irregular defect into a uniform, predictable surface for implant placement. This eliminates the need for unguided bone removal while still using standard surgical instruments.
Solution Approach 2:
The augment is designed and prepared in advance based on preoperative imaging and planning. The custom-fit augment is manufactured before surgery with the exact geometry needed to match the patient's specific bone defect. This preliminary action allows the surgeon to simply place the pre-fitted augment without needing to perform complex unguided bone reshaping during the procedure.
2Manufacturing precision
If additional bone is removed to prepare the defect area for augment implantation, then the bone surface can be better matched to the augment, but further bone loss occurs which compromises structural integrity
Solution Approach 1:
The augment acts as a custom-fit intermediary that is designed to conform precisely to the existing bone defect geometry. Rather than forcing the implant to match the bone, the augment is contoured to match the bone's unique shape, minimizing or eliminating the need for additional bone removal while achieving optimal surface contact and load distribution.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs preoperative imaging and planning to accurately measure and characterize the bone defect's geometry. This parametric data is then used to manufacture a custom augment with precisely matched dimensions and contours. The augment's geometry parameters are specifically tailored to the patient's anatomy, ensuring optimal fit without requiring excessive bone removal.
3Reliability
If larger augments are used to fill irregular bone defects, then the defect can be adequately filled and structural support provided, but more bone must be removed to accommodate the larger augment size
Solution Approach 1:
The augment is designed with local quality variations that match the specific geometry of the bone defect. Different regions of the augment have different contours, thicknesses, and densities tailored to the local requirements of the defect. This allows the augment to adequately fill irregular defects and provide structural support without requiring a uniformly larger augment that would necessitate additional bone removal.
Solution Approach 2:
The augment's geometric parameters are precisely optimized based on preoperative measurements of the defect. The manufacturing process creates an augment with non-uniform dimensions that exactly match the defect's three-dimensional geometry. This parametric customization ensures the augment is the minimum size needed to fill the defect adequately, eliminating the need to use larger standard augments that would require additional bone removal.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method allows for precise and efficient filling of bone defects, maintaining structural integrity while minimizing additional bone removal, and promoting bone integration with the implant.
Implementation Method 1
The acetabular cup implant may include a porous outer surface adapted to promote bone ingrowth into its porous structure
Data Source
AI summary
A joint replacement system that includes an acetabular cup implant that has an outer surface, a drill bit that has a cutting surface, and a guide separately formed from the acetabular cup implant. The guide has a body that defines first and second guide openings each adapted to receive the drill bit. The system also includes void filler prosthesis that has an implant facing surface and first and second portions connected to the implant facing surface. The first and second portions each have an outer surface that has a geometry corresponding to the cutting surface of the drill bit such that the first and second portions can be received in respective openings in a bone formed by the drill bit.