Dual-Sided Rotary Drill Cutter for ACL Reconstruction Sockets
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction, such as interference screw fixation, require significant bone material removal and are technically challenging, especially when forming tibial sockets, and existing solutions like rotary drill techniques need the cutter to be flipped within the joint cavity to form both sockets.
Innovation Solution
A dual-sided rotary drill cutter is used to create both tibial and femoral sockets in a retrograde manner, allowing for continuous use without flipping, thus eliminating the need for bone core extraction and simplifying the process by enabling all-inside socket drilling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of substance
If a coring bone harvester is used to form sockets in both femur and tibia, then bone material is preserved by collecting it as a bone core, but the technique becomes difficult and requires extracting the bone core from the joint cavity
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the bone core collection function from the socket formation process. Instead of forming sockets by removing and extracting bone cores, the dual-sided cutter directly forms sockets by removing bone material without collecting it, eliminating the extraction step entirely
Solution Approach 2:
The invention inverts the traditional approach by using a dual-sided cutter that drills from both directions simultaneously. Rather than forming one socket and then extracting a bone core to form the second, the cutter creates both tibial and femoral sockets in a single continuous operation from opposite directions
2Loss of substance
If a rotary drill technique is used to form tibial and femoral sockets without complete through-drilling, then bone material loss is reduced, but the cutter must be removed and flipped within the joint cavity to form the second socket
Solution Approach 1:
The dual-sided cutter is designed with cutting edges on both sides, making it universally functional for drilling from either direction. This multi-functionality allows the same cutter to form both tibial and femoral sockets without requiring removal or reorientation, eliminating the flipping operation
Solution Approach 2:
The invention enables continuous drilling action by maintaining the cutter in place within the guide pin. The dual-sided design allows the cutter to drill the second socket without being removed from the joint cavity, preserving the continuity of the drilling operation
3Strength
If traditional interference screw fixation is used with complete through-drilling, then secure graft fixation is achieved, but significant bone material must be removed
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the drilling parameters from complete through-drilling to partial-depth socket formation. The dual-sided cutter creates sockets at the required depths without removing excessive bone material, optimizing the balance between fixation strength and bone preservation
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and apparatus for arthroscopic tenodesis using sockets in bone created by retrograde cutting. A dual-sided rotary drill cutter is used to form a tibial and femoral socket by retrograde and antegrade cutting, respectively. The method is used to form a pair of sockets in the joint, which accept the respective ends of a replacement graft. The dual-sided cutter is configured such that it cuts in both directions (retrograde and antegrade) and does not need to be flipped over between forming the respective sockets.