Graft Placement System with Offset Measurement for Bone Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Surgical grafting procedures require precise alignment of grafts with bones, particularly in procedures like the Latarjet protocol, where accurate placement of drill holes is critical for successful alignment, but existing methods lack controlled and accurate hole placement tools that maintain clear visibility of the tissue during drilling.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a graft preparation tool, an offset measurement tool, and an offset drill guide, where the offset measurement tool includes a pin and legs to measure the offset distance from holes in the graft to its edges, and the offset drill guide is coordinated with the measured offset to ensure accurate hole alignment with the bone, allowing for precise placement of fasteners.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If traditional manual methods are used for graft placement, then surgical flexibility is maintained, but alignment precision and hole placement accuracy deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into separate functional components: a graft preparation tool with holder and drilling alignment mechanism for controlled hole placement, an offset measurement tool for measuring distances from holes to graft edges, and an offset drill guide for transferring measurements to the bone. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function with high precision while maintaining overall system manageability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary measurements of the offset distance from drill holes to graft edges before the actual graft-to-bone alignment procedure. The offset measurement tool measures these distances in advance, and the offset drill guide uses these pre-measured values to accurately position drill holes in the bone, ensuring precise alignment without requiring complex real-time adjustments.
2Measurement precision
If the graft is kept close to the bone during drilling, then alignment is easier to maintain, but clear visibility of the tissue being drilled deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The offset drill guide acts as an intermediary tool that transfers the measured offset distance from the graft to the bone drilling process. By using this intermediate device, the surgeon can maintain accurate alignment information without requiring the graft to be in direct contact with the bone during drilling, thus preserving clear visibility of the tissue being drilled while maintaining alignment precision.
3Manufacturing precision
If precise alignment tools are used, then graft-to-bone alignment accuracy is improved, but the time required for measurement and setup increases
Solution Approach 1:
The offset measurement tool performs preliminary measurements of the distance from drill holes to graft edges before the alignment procedure. These pre-measured offset values are then used by the offset drill guide to rapidly position drill holes in the bone without requiring complex real-time measurements or adjustments during the actual graft-to-bone coupling, thus reducing overall procedure time while maintaining high precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The offset measurement tool is designed to be self-contained with a pin that fits into the drill hole and legs that extend to measure the offset distance directly. The tool performs its own measurement function without requiring additional external measurement devices or complex setup procedures, thereby reducing setup time while ensuring accurate offset measurement for precise alignment.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of the invention include a system for coupling a graft to a bone. A graft preparation tool may be used to place one or more holes in a graft and an offset measurement tool may be used to determine the distance of the one or more holes from an edge of the graft to be aligned with a portion of the bone. One or more complementary holes may then be created in the bone and fasteners applied through the holes to couple the graft to the bone.