Angled Suture Bore Geometry for Stronger Soft Tissue Anchorage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing orthopedic implants, such as hip and knee replacements, face challenges in optimally attaching soft tissue due to suture bores oriented perpendicular to anatomical planes, which limits biomechanical force application and tissue manipulation.
Innovation Solution
The implants are designed with suture holes and bores angled at specific acute angles within anatomical planes, allowing for superior-inferior and inferior-superior tissue advancement, forming an X-shaped pattern for enhanced tissue contact and stress distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If suture bores are oriented perpendicular to anatomical planes, then the implant structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the tissue anchorage strength and biomechanical force application are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The suture bores are oriented at acute angles relative to the longitudinal axis in both the frontal and lateral planes, creating a three-dimensional angled configuration rather than simple perpendicular holes. This multi-planar angular orientation allows sutures to engage tissue from multiple directions, significantly improving anchorage strength and biomechanical force distribution while maintaining manufacturing feasibility through standard drilling techniques.
2Ease of operation
If suture bores are oriented perpendicular to the implant surface, then the manufacturing process is simple, but the tissue manipulation flexibility and surgical ease of operation are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
Each suture bore is specifically oriented at predetermined acute angles in the frontal and lateral planes to match the local anatomical geometry and tissue insertion requirements. This localized angular configuration allows surgeons to manipulate and advance tissue in superior-inferior and inferior-superior directions as needed, providing surgical flexibility while the angles are precisely established during manufacturing to maintain ease of production.
3Reliability
If suture bores are oriented at acute angles in multiple planes, then optimal biomechanical apposition and tissue reconstruction are achieved, but the suture hole geometry and implant design become more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The suture bores are pre-configured with specific acute angle orientations in both the frontal and lateral planes relative to the longitudinal axis during implant manufacturing. This preliminary angular configuration ensures that when sutures are threaded through the holes, they automatically provide optimal biomechanical apposition and tissue reconstruction capabilities without requiring complex intraoperative adjustments, thereby achieving high reliability while controlling overall design complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
Orthopedic implants and related surgical methods for using same. The implants have suture bore geometries that facilitate performance of the surgical methods, thereby providing for improved optimal biomechanical force application in various anatomies. The implants include suture bores that have an angled/diagonal, or skewed, orientation within the anatomical planes (lateral/sagittal and frontal/coronal). The suture bores have the skewed orientation so that the adjacent soft tissues (i.e., tendons or ligaments) can be advanced via the suture therethrough in superior-inferior and inferior-superior directions. Openings, or holes, at the ends of the suture bores are configured to approximate the adjacent associated soft tissue to the implant.