Integrated Ankle Surgical Guide for Flexion-Extension Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional ankle surgery instrumentation is complex and requires multiple components, making it difficult to determine the proper placement and angle of ankle implants accurately and efficiently.
Innovation Solution
Surgical guides and methods that reduce the number of components and simplify the determination of flexion and extension angles, featuring smaller size and enhanced visibility cues for improved manipulation and accuracy during surgery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If conventional ankle surgery instrumentation is used, then the proper placement and angle of ankle implants can be determined, but the process is complex and requires multiple components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple separate surgical guides into a single integrated guide assembly. The flexion/extension guide, rotation guide, and alignment guide are merged into one unified structure that can be positioned and secured with a single pin, eliminating the need for multiple separate components while maintaining measurement precision through integrated reference surfaces and alignment features.
Solution Approach 2:
The surgical guide is designed as a multi-functional tool that simultaneously provides flexion/extension angle determination, rotation angle determination, and alignment guidance. The single guide structure incorporates multiple reference surfaces, holes, and engagement features that enable it to perform the functions previously requiring separate specialized guides.
2Productivity
If multiple surgical guides are used to determine flexion and extension angles, then placement accuracy can be improved, but the surgical process becomes more time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
By merging multiple guides into one integrated structure, the surgical process is streamlined from installing and aligning multiple separate guides to installing and aligning a single guide assembly. This reduces the number of steps, minimizes time loss, and improves overall surgical efficiency while maintaining the accuracy benefits of multi-component systems.
3Ease of operation
If larger surgical guides are used, then stability and accuracy can be improved, but manipulation during surgery becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The surgical guide is segmented into a head portion and a shaft portion, where the head contains the measurement and alignment features while the shaft provides a slender profile for easy manipulation. This segmentation allows the guide to maintain accuracy through its head's reference surfaces while its elongated shaft can be easily positioned and manipulated through the surgical site.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide transitions from a two-dimensional planar structure to a three-dimensional elongated configuration. The head portion provides the necessary measurement surfaces in one plane, while the shaft extends in another dimension, creating a profile that is easy to manipulate with surgical instruments while maintaining all necessary alignment and measurement capabilities in the head portion.
Data Source
AI summary
A surgical guide includes a body having four sides. The body comprises a first base at the first side, a second base at the second side and an elongated extension between the first and second base. The first base defines at least one first hole and the second base defines at least a second hole. The body is sized and configured to be installed above a joint line of a calcaneus and a talus bone and approximately mid-way along a longitudinal axis of a tibia. The first base is configured to receive at least one dowel of a second surgical guide in the at least one first hole and the second base is configured to receive at least one pin sleeve and pin in the second hole. Systems and methods are also disclosed.