First Metatarsal Osteotomy Guide for Multi-Plane Realignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Anatomical misalignment of bones, particularly in the foot, such as the first metatarsal, requires surgical intervention to correct and alleviate patient discomfort.
Innovation Solution
A bone cutting guide is used to make parallel but offset longitudinal cuts on the first metatarsal, forming a wedge-shaped section, which is then divided into two movable portions to realign them in multiple planes, with the option of using the removed wedge as an autograft or alternative bone construct to fill gaps created during realignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If traditional bone cutting methods are used without a guide, then the surgical procedure is simpler in terms of equipment, but the precision and accuracy of bone realignment is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The bone cutting guide is designed and positioned before the actual cutting operation to pre-determine the precise location, angle, and depth of cuts. This preliminary positioning ensures accurate wedge removal and subsequent bone realignment without requiring complex intraoperative adjustments.
Solution Approach 2:
The bone cutting guide serves as an intermediary tool between the surgeon's intent and the actual bone cutting process. It translates surgical planning into precise physical cuts by guiding the cutting instrument along predetermined paths, ensuring accuracy while maintaining procedural simplicity.
2Manufacturing precision
If the wedge-shaped bone section is removed to enable realignment, then bone misalignment correction is achieved, but a gap is created that requires filling
Solution Approach 1:
The wedge-shaped bone section that is removed during cutting is not simply discarded but is instead harvested and prepared for use as an autograft. This recovered bone material is then used to fill the gap created by the wedge removal, eliminating the need for additional bone harvesting from other sites and reducing overall bone loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The bone itself provides the material needed to fill the gap created during realignment. By using the patient's own harvested bone (autograft) rather than allograft or synthetic materials, the system is self-sufficient and eliminates the need for external bone sources.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple cuts are made to create movable bone portions, then bone realignment flexibility is improved, but the surgical procedure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The bone is divided into distinct segments through precise cuts that create a movable distal portion and a fixed proximal portion. This segmentation allows independent manipulation of the distal segment to achieve the desired realignment angle while maintaining structural integrity of the overall construct.
Solution Approach 2:
The cutting guide and cutting instrument work together to create dynamic capability in an otherwise static bone structure. The distal bone portion becomes movable relative to the proximal portion, allowing real-time adjustment of alignment during surgery before final fixation.
Data Source
AI summary
Devices and techniques for adjusting an alignment for a first metatarsal may include making a plurality of cuts along the length of the first metatarsal. In different applications of the technique, a plurality of transverse cuts may or may not be made intersecting the longitudinal cuts. In either case, the cuts can separate the first metatarsal into two individual portions and release a removable wedge of bone. The different portions of the metatarsal can be moved relative to each other to adjust an anatomical alignment of one portion relative to another portion, for example in multiple planes. After suitably adjusting the alignment of the different bone portions, the portions can be fixed together.