Flexion/Extension Surgical Guides for Accurate Ankle Implant Placement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional ankle surgery instrumentation is complex and requires multiple components, making it difficult to determine the proper placement and angle of ankle implants accurately and efficiently.
Innovation Solution
The use of simplified surgical guides that reduce the number of components and provide enhanced visibility cues, allowing for streamlined determination of flexion and extension angles during ankle surgery, with reduced size for improved manipulation and accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional ankle surgery instrumentation is used, then multiple components are available for surgical procedures, but the device complexity increases and ease of operation decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple separate surgical guide components into a single integrated surgical guide assembly. The guide includes a body with multiple bases that can simultaneously receive different surgical instruments (dowels, pin sleeves, cutting guides) while maintaining multiple measurement and guidance functions. This merging reduces the total number of separate components the surgeon must handle while preserving the adaptability needed for various surgical steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The surgical guide is designed as a multi-functional device that can perform multiple functions simultaneously. The guide body includes bases for receiving dowels, pin sleeves for securing pins, channels for cutting guides, and features for determining flexion/extension angles and mechanical axis alignment. This universal design allows a single component to replace multiple specialized tools while maintaining all necessary surgical capabilities.
2Adaptability or versatility
If conventional surgical guides are used, then placement options are available, but the ease of operation decreases due to difficulty in manipulation
Solution Approach 1:
The surgical guide is segmented into distinct functional zones within a single integrated body. The guide includes a first base for receiving dowels, a second base for pin sleeves, and additional sections for cutting guides and alignment features. This segmentation allows each functional element to be independently designed for optimal performance while the unified structure maintains ease of manipulation as a single manageable component rather than multiple separate tools.
3Productivity
If conventional instrumentation is used, then surgical procedures can be performed, but visibility cues are insufficient for accurate placement
Solution Approach 1:
The surgical guide incorporates radiopaque materials that appear distinct under fluoroscopic imaging, providing enhanced visibility cues during the surgical procedure. The guide body and its components are designed with radiopaque features that allow the surgeon to accurately visualize the guide's position, orientation, and alignment relative to the patient's anatomy in real-time during surgery, ensuring precise implant placement.
Data Source
AI summary
A surgical guide includes a body having four sides. The body comprises a first base at the first side, a second base at the second side and an elongated extension between the first and second base. The first base defines at least one first hole and the second base defines at least a second hole. The body is sized and configured to be installed above a joint line of a calcaneus and a talus bone and approximately mid-way along a longitudinal axis of a tibia. The first base is configured to receive at least one dowel of a second surgical guide in the at least one first hole and the second base is configured to receive at least one pin sleeve and pin in the second hole. Systems and methods are also disclosed.