Orthopedic Implant Placement with Real-Time Bone-Wall Tracking

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Solution Overview

Problem

Challenges exist in accurately selecting and positioning orthopedic prosthetics during surgical procedures due to low visibility of bone structures and variations in bone quality, leading to risks of bone fracture and stress shielding.

Innovation Solution

A system utilizing sensors to monitor the spatial relationship between implant components and bone surfaces, providing real-time feedback to surgeons through mixed reality visualization, enabling precise implant placement and avoiding bone damage.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If surgical instruments are used to control bone shaping and implant positioning, then implant placement precision is improved, but surgical complexity and time increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveimplant placement precisionVSAvoidsurgical procedure complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system creates a virtual copy of the patient's bone anatomy through 3D imaging and tracking, allowing surgeons to plan and visualize implant placement in a virtual model before actual surgery. This virtual replica enables precise positioning guidance without requiring complex physical surgical guides during the procedure.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

Solution Approach 2:

The tracking system provides real-time feedback on implant position relative to the bone anatomy during surgery. Sensors continuously monitor the spatial relationship between surgical instruments and bone structures, giving immediate feedback to the surgeon to adjust positioning and achieve precise implant placement.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Measurement precision

If preoperative planning with 3D modeling is used, then implant selection accuracy is improved, but preoperative preparation time increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveimplant selection accuracyVSAvoidpreoperative preparation time

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs 3D bone modeling and implant selection in advance during preoperative planning, allowing surgeons to identify the optimal implant size and position before surgery. This preliminary action enables more accurate implant selection while the intraoperative tracking system then confirms and adjusts positioning in real-time to balance accuracy with surgical efficiency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Reliability

If real-time sensor monitoring is implemented, then bone damage risk reduction is improved, but device complexity and cost increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebone damage risk reductionVSAvoidsurgical system complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The tracking system acts as an intermediary between the surgeon and the bone structure, providing indirect monitoring of implant-bone spatial relationships through sensors and visual feedback. This intermediary system reduces bone damage risk by alerting surgeons to potential conflicts without requiring direct physical contact or complex force sensing between the implant and bone.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS12458446B2Bone wall tracking and guidance for orthopedic implant placement

Publication Date: 2025.11.04 HOWMEDICA OSTEONICS CORP

AI summary

An example device includes a first sensor to sense a first value representative of distance to a bone wall inside a patient; a second sensor configured to sense a second value representative of a distance to an implant component inside the patient; processing circuitry configured to process the first value and the second value; and transmitter circuitry configured to generate an output based on the first value and the second value.