Patient-Specific Acetabular Guide with Nested Drill Inserts

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current orthopedic surgery techniques face challenges in accurately aligning and implanting acetabular implants due to variability in patient anatomy, often requiring intraoperative image navigation and marking, which can be complex and error-prone.

Innovation Solution

A patient-specific acetabular guide system is developed, utilizing three-dimensional reconstructions from medical images to create customized guides and tools that match individual patient anatomy, allowing for precise alignment and implantation of acetabular cups by aligning pins and drill inserts, enabling accurate registration and stable implant placement without the need for intraoperative navigation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If patient-specific acetabular guide system with customized guides and tools is used, then manufacturing precision and alignment accuracy are improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvealignment accuracyVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The acetabular guide system is divided into separate functional components: a patient-specific acetabular guide with a first longitudinal bore for receiving a drill insert, and a separate alignment pin with a second longitudinal bore. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently for its specific function while simplifying the overall assembly and reducing manufacturing complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The drill insert is received within the acetabular guide, and the alignment pin is received within the drill insert's longitudinal bore. This nested arrangement consolidates multiple functions into a compact integrated structure, reducing the number of separate components needed and simplifying the overall system while maintaining high alignment precision.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

2Manufacturing precision

If patient-specific acetabular guide system with customized guides and tools is used, then manufacturing precision and alignment accuracy are improved, but the number of components increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvealignment accuracyVSAvoidnumber of components
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The acetabular guide and alignment pin are merged into a single integrated assembly where the alignment pin is received within the longitudinal bore of the acetabular guide. This merging reduces the number of separate components that need to be manufactured, stored, and assembled, while maintaining the high alignment precision provided by the patient-specific customization.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The acetabular guide serves multiple functions: it provides patient-specific anatomical alignment, receives the drill insert for creating the guide pin hole, and works in conjunction with the alignment pin to ensure precise acetabular cup placement. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate specialized tools, thereby reducing the total number of components.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Device complexity

If conventional acetabular implant techniques are used, then device complexity is reduced, but measurement precision and alignment accuracy deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesystem simplicityVSAvoidalignment accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The acetabular guide is designed and manufactured beforehand based on patient-specific anatomical data from imaging studies. This pre-customization allows the guide to provide precise alignment information before the surgery begins, eliminating the need for complex intraoperative measurements and adjustments while maintaining high alignment accuracy.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The acetabular guide is created as a physical copy or replica of the patient's specific acetabulum anatomy based on imaging data. This anatomical copy allows the guide to fit precisely within the patient's acetabulum, providing accurate alignment references without requiring complex real-time measurements or adjustments during surgery.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

Data Source

PatentEP3277204B1Acetabular guide system for placing a guide pin
Publication Date: 2020.09.23 BIOMET MFG LLC
  • EP3277204B1 patent drawingFigure 1A~1B
  • EP3277204B1 patent drawingFigure 1C
  • EP3277204B1 patent drawingFigure 2A

AI summary

An acetabular guide system for placing a guide pin near an acetabulum includes a patient specific acetabular guide which can include: interior and exterior surfaces, the exterior surface being configured to have a geometry to register within the acetabulum of a specific patient, a first drill insert configured to be received by the guide at a first location, the first drill insert having a first longitudinal bore configured to be received concentrically in a guide bore of the guide, the guide bore extending exterior to the interior surface, a second drill insert configured to be fixed to a boney portion exterior to the acetabulum at a second location a predetermined distance from the first location, the second drill insert forming a second longitudinal bore, and a selectively removable alignment pin configured to be received by at least one of the first longitudinal bore and the second longitudinal bore.