Patient-Specific Acetabular Guide for Precise Cup Alignment

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current methods for preparing and aligning the acetabulum for acetabular implants lack precision and flexibility, often requiring intraoperative navigation and marking, which can complicate the surgical process and affect the accuracy of implant placement.

Innovation Solution

The development of patient-specific acetabular guides and instruments that utilize three-dimensional reconstructions of the patient's anatomy to design custom engagement surfaces and guiding elements, allowing for precise alignment and implantation of acetabular cups along a pre-determined axis, using various fitment options and markers to ensure accurate positioning and orientation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If conventional acetabular preparation methods are used, then the surgical process can be performed with standard tools, but precision and accuracy of implant placement are compromised

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprecision of acetabular preparationVSAvoidcomplexity of surgical instruments

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The surgical system is divided into multiple specialized instruments, each performing a specific function (acetabular guide, reamer, impacter, alignment tools). This segmentation allows each tool to be optimized for its specific task, improving overall precision while managing complexity through functional specialization rather than requiring a single complex device to do everything.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Patient-specific guides and alignment tools serve as intermediary devices between the surgical instruments and the acetabulum. These guides act as mediators that translate preoperative planning into accurate intraoperative placement, enabling precise implant positioning without requiring the surgical instruments themselves to be overly complex.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Measurement precision

If intraoperative navigation and marking are used to ensure accuracy, then implant placement precision improves, but surgical complexity and time increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaccuracy of implant placementVSAvoidcomplexity of navigation system

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The acetabular guides, alignment tools, and surgical plans are designed and prepared before the surgery takes place, based on preoperative imaging and patient-specific anatomy. This preliminary action allows the surgical team to enter the operating room with pre-planned, customized guidance tools that eliminate the need for complex intraoperative navigation systems while maintaining high accuracy in implant placement.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Manufacturing precision

If patient-specific custom guides are used, then alignment accuracy improves, but preparation time and manufacturing complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvealignment accuracyVSAvoidpreparation time

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patient-specific guides and alignment tools are created by copying and adapting standard surgical instrument designs to match individual patient anatomy. This approach allows for customization and high alignment accuracy while using established manufacturing processes and design templates, thereby reducing the time required for preparation compared to creating entirely new instruments from scratch for each patient.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

4Adaptability or versatility

If multiple fitment options and marker elements are provided, then adaptability to different patient anatomies improves, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveadaptability to patient anatomyVSAvoidnumber of guide components

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The acetabular guides and alignment tools are designed with universal features that can accommodate multiple fitment options and patient anatomies through a single base design. Marker elements and guide components can be configured in different arrangements to suit various surgical needs, allowing one instrument family to serve multiple functions and patient types, thereby managing complexity through standardized multi-functional design rather than requiring separate instruments for each scenario.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS10507029B2Patient-specific acetabular guides and associated instruments

Publication Date: 2019.12.17 BIOMET MFG LLC

AI summary

A patient-specific acetabular guide can be used for preparing an acetabulum of a patient to receive an acetabular implant. The acetabular guide includes a patient-specific engagement surface designed to be complementary and mateable with a corresponding surface of the patient's pelvic anatomy. The acetabular guide is designed during a pre-operative plan for the patient by a three-dimensional reconstruction of the anatomy of the patient using two-dimensional medical images. The patient-specific engagement surface has a first portion mateable with a portion of the acetabulum of the patient. The acetabular guide includes a guiding element that extends from the acetabular guide opposite to the first portion of engagement surface. The guiding element defines a bore designed to be oriented along an alignment axis for an acetabular implant when the acetabular guide is engaged to the acetabulum.