Customizable Acetabular Shell with Patient-Matched Fixation Holes
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Solution Overview
Problem
In total hip arthroplasty, particularly in revision surgeries, securely implanting an acetabular shell into the patient's bone is challenging, especially with poor bone quality or bone loss, and existing off-the-shelf implants limit customization to the patient's specific anatomy.
Innovation Solution
The development of customizable acetabular shell implants and methods that allow surgeons to create tailored fixation locations by using a provisional shell and liner to mark and form patient-matched holes, enabling individualized attachment to the patient's bone without the need for fully customized implants.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If off-the-shelf implants are used, then manufacturing cost and device complexity are reduced, but adaptability to patient-specific anatomy and fixation reliability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The implant system is divided into modular components: a standardized acetabular shell and a customizable liner. The liner can be independently customized to match patient-specific anatomy while the shell remains a standard component, allowing adaptability without requiring full customization of the entire implant system.
Solution Approach 2:
Patient-specific anatomy is assessed and measured before the implantation procedure. Based on these pre-obtained measurements, the liner is customized in advance to match the patient's specific anatomical features, ensuring adaptability while streamlining the actual surgical procedure.
2Reliability
If off-the-shelf implants with fixed hole locations are used, then manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but fixation reliability and screw fixation precision deteriorate in patients with bone loss or poor bone quality
Solution Approach 1:
The optimal locations for screw fixation holes are determined in advance based on patient-specific bone quality assessment and anatomical measurements. The liner is pre-customized with hole locations that precisely match the patient's bone structure, ensuring maximum fixation reliability while simplifying the surgical procedure.
Solution Approach 2:
The liner is customized with specific local modifications including hole locations, hole sizes, and structural features that are tailored to the patient's specific bone quality and anatomical characteristics at each fixation site, optimizing fixation reliability for individual patient needs.
3Manufacturing precision
If fully customized implants are created for each patient, then adaptability to patient-specific anatomy and fixation precision are improved, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The implant system separates customization requirements from standardization benefits by dividing the implant into a standardized shell and a customized liner. Only the liner requires patient-specific manufacturing based on pre-obtained measurements, achieving high fixation precision while limiting device complexity to only the necessary customized components.
Data Source
AI summary
Illustrative methods and systems for customizing a pre-manufactured acetabular shell to a specific patient are described herein. An illustrative method can include positioning a provisional shell at an acetabulum of the patient, the provisional shell having a plurality of selectable openings. The method further including marking, based on the assessing of the bone, a patient-matched hole location on a provisional liner that corresponds to one of the plurality of selectable openings in the provisional shell. With the provisional liner marked, the method can further include removing the provisional liner from the provisional shell and positioning the provisional liner in the pre-manufactured acetabular shell that is to be implanted in the patient. Using the provisional liner as a guide, the method can include forming a hole in the acetabular shell corresponding to the marked patient-matched hole location on the provisional liner.