Bone Milling System with Guide Rod for Knee Resection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for preparing the tibia during knee arthroplasty are hindered by the overlapping portions of the femur, making it difficult to achieve precise resection cuts, and there is a need for instrumentation that can access and prepare the tibia in a non-invasive manner while being interchangeable with other necessary tools.
Innovation Solution
A bone milling system comprising a milling tool member and a guide rod, where the guide rod is inserted into the intramedullary canal of the bone to guide the milling tool along a specific axis, creating an aperture of desired depth, which can then be used as a reference for resection cuts or to mount a resection block for further bone preparation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the tibia is prepared first to provide a reference for femoral cuts, then the accuracy of resection cuts is improved, but the accessibility to the tibia is hindered by overlapping portions of the femur
Solution Approach 1:
The instrumentation is divided into separate modular components: a guide rod that can be inserted through the femur and a separate tibial preparation instrument. This segmentation allows the guide rod to be positioned through the accessible femoral region while extending to guide tibial preparation, overcoming the accessibility problem while maintaining precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide rod acts as an intermediary element that bridges the femur and tibia. It is inserted through the femur (which is easily accessible) and extends to provide a reference for tibial preparation, allowing indirect access to the tibia while maintaining cutting accuracy.
2Manufacturing precision
If complete preparation of the tibia is attempted, then the reference quality for femoral cuts is improved, but the invasiveness of the procedure increases
Solution Approach 1:
The guide rod is inserted through the femur before tibial preparation begins. This preliminary action establishes the reference framework in advance, allowing subsequent tibial preparation to be performed with greater precision and less invasiveness since the reference is already in place.
Solution Approach 2:
The instrumentation allows for localized preparation of the tibia at specific sites where reference points are needed, rather than requiring complete extensive preparation of the entire tibia. This reduces the invasiveness while maintaining the necessary reference quality for accurate femoral cuts.
3Manufacturing precision
If a specialized tibial preparation instrument is used, then the precision of tibial preparation is improved, but the complexity of the instrumentation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The guide rod serves multiple functions: it acts as a reference for tibial preparation, a guide for instrument alignment, and can be removed or exchanged for other instrumentation. This multi-functionality reduces the need for multiple specialized instruments, thereby reducing overall instrumentation complexity while maintaining precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The instrumentation system is designed to be dynamic and adaptable. The guide rod can be inserted, adjusted, and removed, and other instruments can be attached to it. This dynamic design allows a single base instrument to perform multiple functions, reducing complexity compared to having separate fixed-purpose instruments for each function.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods for resecting a portion of a knee joint are described herein. While the described methods can comprise any suitable step, in some implementations, the methods include cutting a cylindrically-shaped hole in a portion of the knee joint selected from at least one of a distal portion of a femur and a proximal portion of a tibia in the knee joint; and using a depth of the cylindrically-shaped hole as a reference point to resect bone around the cylindrically-shaped hole to a depth substantially matching the depth of the cylindrically-shaped hole. Other implementations are described.