Contoured Bone Hook Plate for Secure Fragment Engagement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional hook bone plates struggle to securely engage small end bone fragments, compress fractures effectively, and are often difficult to deploy due to limited soft tissue cushioning and high tamping forces required.
Innovation Solution
An improved hook plate system featuring a contoured implant with a hook that includes a base, a bend, and a prong, which slidably engages a guide feature to guide the hook into an opening in the bone, along with a placement guide and inserter for easy deployment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional hook plates are used to engage bone fragments, then fracture compression is provided, but the implant stands proud of the bone surface causing patient discomfort and irritation due to limited soft tissue cushioning
Solution Approach 1:
The hook plate implant incorporates a contoured shape with curved surfaces that conform to the natural anatomy of the bone and surrounding tissue. The implant body features a curved profile that follows the contour of the bone surface, while the hooks are shaped to wrap around the bone fragment. This curvature allows the implant to sit flush against the bone surface without protruding, eliminating patient discomfort while maintaining secure engagement of the bone fragment.
2Reliability
If tamping force is applied to drive hooks into the bone fragment, then secure engagement is achieved, but the high force required makes deployment difficult and may cause dislocation of fracture reduction
Solution Approach 1:
The surgical method employs preliminary actions to facilitate hook plate deployment. First, pilot holes are drilled into the bone fragment at the desired hook engagement locations, creating pre-formed pathways that guide the hooks during insertion. The bone fragment is also temporarily stabilized with K-wires or screws before hook plate placement, ensuring that the fracture reduction is maintained throughout the procedure. These preliminary actions eliminate the need for high-force tamping, as the hooks simply follow the pre-drilled paths into the bone, making deployment straightforward while securing reliable engagement.
3Reliability
If the bone fragment is small, then fracture fixation is needed, but the minimal bone volume provides insufficient engagement surface for conventional implants
Solution Approach 1:
The hook plate design features hooks that wrap around and nest within the contours of the small bone fragment. The hooks are shaped to conform to the fragment's geometry, with the curved surfaces of the hooks nesting against the bone fragment's outer surface. This nesting configuration maximizes the contact area between the implant and the limited bone surface, providing secure engagement even when the bone fragment has minimal volume. The contoured implant body also nests against the surrounding bone structure, further stabilizing the small fragment.
4Ease of operation
If pilot holes are drilled for hook placement, then hook insertion is facilitated, but locating the pilot holes beneath the peritoneum becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The surgical procedure uses an intermediary tool—a contoured template or guide plate—that is placed against the bone surface to mark the precise locations for pilot holes. This template features pre-marked drill sites that correspond to the optimal hook engagement positions, accounting for the depth and curvature of the bone surface beneath the peritoneum. By using this intermediary guide, the surgeon can accurately locate and mark the pilot hole positions without needing to visually or manually probe beneath the peritoneal layer, significantly simplifying the localization process while ensuring correct hook placement.
Data Source
AI summary
A bone implant, system, and method for retaining a bone fragment. The implant includes at least one hook that includes a base extending proximal to a proximal end of the implant, a bend, and a prong that extends from the bend. The prong slidably engages a guide feature that guides the at least one hook into a corresponding opening in the bone fragment.