Angled Pilot Hole Formation in Acetabular Cups
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In hip replacement surgeries, forming pilot holes in acetabular cups to secure them to the pelvis bone is challenging due to the difficulty in accessing and orienting the hole-creating elements, especially when the holes are hard to reach and require precise alignment.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a saddle, a translator, a punch element, and an impaction stem, where the translator moves along a defined axis to advance the punch element through the acetabular cup, allowing for angled hole formation and improved accessibility with a ball-and-socket joint for flexible orientation, and can be manufactured using 3D printing for convenience and precision.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual drilling is used to form pilot holes in acetabular cups, then the surgeon has flexibility in positioning, but the difficulty of accessing and orienting hole-creating elements increases when holes are hard to reach
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary device (the punch element with guide tube) that mediates between the surgeon's manual operation and the hole formation process. The guide tube acts as a mediator to direct the punch element through the acetabular cup wall, making the hole-creating element accessible and orientable from the exterior side of the cup where it can be easily positioned and manipulated.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions the hole formation operation from a two-dimensional surface operation to a three-dimensional approach by using a guide tube that extends through the acetabular cup wall. This allows the punch element to be introduced from one dimension (exterior side) and deliver the hole-creating action through the material thickness, effectively adding a dimensional component to the operation.
2Manufacturing precision
If traditional hole-creating elements are used, then the structure is simple, but the ability to form holes at precise locations and angles is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The guide tube serves as an intermediary that carries the punch element to precise locations and orientations. The guide tube can be positioned at specific angles and locations on the exterior side of the acetabular cup, and its internal geometry directs the punch element to create holes at the desired precise locations, combining positioning precision with operational accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The hole formation system is segmented into distinct functional components: the guide tube for positioning and orientation, and the punch element for actual hole creation. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently - the guide tube for precision positioning and the punch element for effective hole formation - while both work together to achieve both precision and accessibility.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the punch element is positioned deep within the acetabular cup, then hole formation is possible, but the difficulty of accessing and orienting the element increases
Solution Approach 1:
The guide tube acts as an intermediary that extends from the accessible exterior side of the acetabular cup deep into the cup's interior. This allows the punch element to reach hard-to-access locations while the guide tube's exterior portion remains easily accessible for positioning and manipulation by the surgeon.
Solution Approach 2:
The punch element is nested within the guide tube, which itself is positioned within the acetabular cup. This nested arrangement allows the punch element to access deep interior locations while being controlled from the exterior, effectively nesting the hard-to-reach component within an easily accessible structure.
Data Source
AI summary
A system can form a pilot hole to secure a securable element, such as an acetabular cup. A saddle can removably attach to the securable element. The saddle can confine a translator and allow the translator to move along a translator axis between a first translator position and a second translator position. A punch element can be movably coupled to the saddle and the translator such that when the saddle is removably attached to the securable element, moving the translator from the first translator position toward the second translator position can advance a tip of the punch element from the saddle through the securable element along a punch axis that is angled with respect to the translator axis. An impaction stem can be coupled to the translator by a joint, such as a ball-and-socket joint, and can impart motion to the translator.