Patient-Specific Glenoid Guide with Reusable Holder

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current shoulder arthroplasty techniques face challenges in accurately aligning and positioning implants due to the variability in patient anatomy, leading to potential complications and suboptimal outcomes.

Innovation Solution

The development of a glenoid device comprising a reusable guide holder and a patient-specific glenoid guide, which are designed to work together to accurately align and position implants during both anatomic and reverse shoulder arthroplasty procedures.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If a patient-specific glenoid guide with custom bore is used, then alignment precision is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvealignment precisionVSAvoiddevice complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The glenoid device is divided into two separate components: a reusable guide holder with a non-custom bore and a patient-specific glenoid guide with a custom bore. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently - the guide holder can be manufactured once and reused, while only the glenoid guide needs to be custom-made for each patient, thereby reducing overall device complexity while maintaining alignment precision.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The reusable guide holder acts as an intermediary component that interfaces with the patient-specific glenoid guide. The guide holder provides a standardized interface that can be coupled with different patient-specific guides, allowing the precision alignment to be achieved through the combination of the two components rather than requiring the entire device to be custom-made.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Ease of manufacture

If a reusable guide holder with non-custom bore is used, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but adaptability decreases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemanufacturing costVSAvoidadaptability
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

By segmenting the device into a reusable guide holder and a patient-specific glenoid guide, the system achieves both cost efficiency and adaptability. The guide holder is manufactured once and reused across multiple patients, reducing manufacturing costs, while the patient-specific guide is customized for each patient's anatomy, maintaining adaptability and versatility.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The reusable guide holder is designed to be discarded after a single use in its current form, while the patient-specific glenoid guide is recovered and reused. This approach allows the expensive, complex guide holder to be manufactured once and then the simpler, patient-specific guide is customized and reused, achieving both cost reduction and adaptability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #34Discarding and recovering

3Manufacturing precision

If a patient-specific glenoid guide is used, then implant placement accuracy is improved, but surgical time increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveimplant placement accuracyVSAvoidsurgical time
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patient-specific glenoid guide is designed and manufactured before the surgical procedure. The custom bore is pre-formed in the guide according to the patient's specific anatomy and surgical plan. This preliminary action allows the guide to be ready for immediate use in the operating room, reducing the time required during surgery to prepare and position the guide, while still achieving high implant placement accuracy.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP3533400B1Patient-specific glenoid guide with a reusable guide holder
Publication Date: 2025.03.05 BIOMET MFG LLC
  • EP3533400B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3533400B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP3533400B1 patent drawingFigure 5~7

AI summary

A glenoid device for preparing a shoulder joint of a patient includes a reusable guide holder having a handle shaft. The glenoid device also includes a patient-specific glenoid guide having a body between an upper surface and a lower surface. The lower surface of the patient-specific glenoid guide is configured as a negative surface of a glenoid face based on preoperative image scans of the shoulder joint of the patient. The patient-specific glenoid guide forms a bore having a patient-specific orientation along an alignment axis of the shoulder joint of the patient.