Customized Bone Jigs for Minimally Invasive Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current surgical techniques for bone reduction and stabilization, such as open reduction with internal fixation and minimally invasive osteosynthesis, often damage the local blood supply and require intraoperative radiation exposure, which can lead to complications like malunions, infections, and increased costs.
Innovation Solution
The use of customized jigs fabricated using three-dimensional printing technology to align bone segments minimally invasively, guided by interaction elements attached to the bones, which are designed based on virtual reduction models created from CT imaging and computer modeling, allowing for precise alignment without dissecting surrounding tissues.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If open reduction with internal fixation is used to achieve anatomic reduction and rigid stabilization, then bone alignment and stability are improved, but local blood supply is damaged and surgical trauma increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses customized reduction jigs as intermediary devices that attach to the bone fragments through interaction elements (pins or clamps) and guide them into proper alignment. The jigs transmit alignment forces without requiring direct surgical exposure of the fracture site, thus mediating between the need for precise alignment and the need to preserve blood supply. The interaction elements serve as intermediaries that connect the external jig to the internal bone structure without extensive dissection.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the traditional mechanical system of open surgical exposure and manual reduction with a customized jig-based mechanical system. The jig incorporates pre-calculated alignment geometry derived from virtual reduction models, substituting the surgeon's manual manipulation with a predetermined mechanical guidance system that achieves precise alignment through the jig's structural constraints and guidance features.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If minimally invasive osteosynthesis is used to preserve fracture biology, then blood supply preservation is improved, but reduction precision and stabilization reliability may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary virtual reduction using CT imaging and computer modeling to determine the optimal alignment and reduction strategy before the actual surgery. The customized jig is designed based on these pre-calculated parameters, incorporating the precise geometry needed to achieve the desired bone alignment. This preliminary planning ensures that when the jig is applied during surgery, the reduction precision is already predetermined and built into the jig's structure, eliminating the need for extensive intraoperative manipulation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a virtual copy of the patient's specific fracture geometry through CT imaging and 3D modeling. This digital replica is used to simulate the reduction process and design the customized jig that will physically implement the virtual reduction plan. The jig essentially becomes a physical manifestation of the virtual model, copying the precise alignment parameters from the digital simulation to the actual surgical procedure, thereby ensuring high reduction precision without extensive manual manipulation.
3Measurement precision
If intraoperative fluoroscopy is used to assess reduction in minimally invasive techniques, then reduction assessment is improved, but radiation exposure and surgical costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a virtual copy of the fracture and reduction process through preoperative CT imaging and 3D modeling. This digital model allows for virtual assessment of the reduction plan before surgery, and the customized jig incorporates alignment features that physically enforce the virtual reduction geometry. During surgery, the jig's mechanical constraints and alignment features provide inherent verification of proper reduction, eliminating or reducing the need for intraoperative fluoroscopic imaging to assess alignment.
Solution Approach 2:
The customized jig incorporates built-in alignment features, mechanical constraints, and guidance structures that automatically ensure proper bone alignment during reduction. The jig essentially performs self-verification of the reduction quality through its mechanical design - when the bone fragments are properly reduced, they naturally fit into the jig's alignment features. This self-checking mechanism reduces or eliminates the need for external assessment tools like fluoroscopy, thereby reducing radiation exposure.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods for aligning bone segments using custom jigs are disclosed. In one technique, bone segments are aligned using interaction elements, imaging, virtual fracture alignment, and a custom jig. The custom jig can be generated using a rapid fabrication method such as via the use of a three-dimensional printer. The methods can be minimally invasive or noninvasive. The interaction elements can be percutaneous interaction pins or noninvasive interaction elements.