Bone Cutting Guide with Mechanical Stop for Osteotomy Depth Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for partially cutting bones during osteotomy surgeries lack effective control over the depth of the cut, leading to invasive procedures and potential complications due to the lack of visual references and increased radiation exposure from fluoroscopic images.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a guiding device with a mechanical stop and adjustable orientation, allowing precise control of the cutting tool's depth and orientation, utilizing a guiding device with a homothetic upper face as a mechanical stop and a slot for directional guidance, along with a navigation system for real-time 3D positioning and orientation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional fluoroscopic images are used to control cutting depth, then the surgeon can visualize the cutting process, but the patient and medical team are exposed to considerable radiation doses
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the optical/fluoroscopic monitoring system with a mechanical stop system. The mechanical stop physically limits the saw blade's insertion depth through direct mechanical contact, eliminating the need for continuous fluoroscopic imaging to monitor cutting depth. This substitution of mechanical constraint for optical monitoring resolves the contradiction by providing precise depth control without radiation exposure.
Solution Approach 2:
The mechanical stop acts as an intermediary element between the saw blade and the bone. It mediates the cutting process by providing a physical barrier that prevents the blade from penetrating beyond the desired depth, thereby controlling the hinge size without requiring visual feedback from fluoroscopic images and avoiding radiation exposure.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a large pin is inserted through the knee as in the IBALANCE solution, then the fluoroscopic images are reduced, but the procedure becomes much more invasive and traumatizing for the patient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by placing the mechanical stop only at the specific location where depth control is needed (at the entrance to the bone or along the cutting path), rather than inserting a large pin through the entire knee joint. This localized approach provides the necessary control function while minimizing surgical invasiveness and trauma to the patient.
Solution Approach 2:
The guiding device is segmented into separate functional components: the guiding structure for orientation and the mechanical stop for depth control. This segmentation allows the mechanical stop to be positioned independently at the optimal location for minimizing invasiveness, rather than requiring a single large invasive pin to perform multiple functions.
3Device complexity
If no mechanical stop is used, then the procedure is simpler, but the surgeon cannot control the insertion depth of the blade and thus the size of the resulting hinge
Solution Approach 1:
The mechanical stop provides self-service depth control by physically blocking the saw blade at the predetermined depth. The system serves itself by using the predetermined position of the mechanical stop to automatically limit cutting depth without requiring continuous surgeon intervention or complex control mechanisms, thus maintaining procedural simplicity while achieving precise hinge size control.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention concerns a system for partially cutting a bone, comprising a device for guiding a cutting tool. According to the invention, the device comprises: —an upper face forming a mechanical stop for a first part of the cutting tool, the upper face being non-cutting and thicker than the blade, so as to limit the insertion of the blade into said bone in order to partially cut said bone, the upper stop face having a profile that is a homothety of the edge profile of said hinge, the guide device having a pre-defined range to ensure the steering of the blade of the cutting tool in a pre-defined direction of partial cutting of the bone, —a second part that fastens to the bone and a first fastening means for fastening the guide device to the second part and —a means for adjusting the orientation of the guide device relative to the second part.