Guide Pin Piercing Jig for ACL Bone Tunnel Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ACL reconstruction techniques face challenges in determining the proper position and angle for boring bone tunnels through the thighbone bottom portion of the knee joint, especially when no reference bone tunnel is present, due to the curved surface, making it difficult to insert a guide wire or guide pin in the correct direction, which can result in deviated tunnel positions and complications during tendon transplantation.
Innovation Solution
A guide pin piercing jig with a curved frame, featuring a front cylinder unit with a positioning projection and a rear cylinder unit containing parallel guide pin insertion cylinders, allows for the insertion of guide pins from behind the bone to reach a boring aiming portion, ensuring proper direction and positioning for forming bone tunnels through the thighbone bottom portion, even without a pre-existing reference tunnel.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a guide wire is inserted from the front surface side to bore a bone tunnel obliquely upward through the shinbone top portion, then the operation is straightforward, but the tunnel position deviates from the natural ACL position and fails to achieve proper alignment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a guide pin as an intermediary tool that is inserted from behind the thighbone bottom portion to establish the correct tunnel trajectory. This guide pin serves as a mediator between the curved bone surface and the hollow drill, ensuring the drill follows the precise path needed to reach the ACL attachment site. The guide pin with its specific angle and position acts as the intermediary element that transfers the intended tunnel geometry from the surgeon's planning to the actual bone penetration.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of inserting the guide wire from the conventional front surface side, the patent inverts the approach by inserting the guide pin from behind the thighbone bottom portion. This reverse insertion method allows the guide pin to engage with the curved bone surface from the opposite direction, enabling proper alignment with the ACL attachment site while maintaining ease of operation.
2Manufacturing precision
If a guide wire is inserted from behind the thighbone bottom portion to achieve proper tunnel positioning, then the tunnel position accuracy improves, but the curved bone surface makes it difficult to insert the guide wire in the correct direction
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates a curved surface structure on the guide pin that matches the curvature of the thighbone bottom portion. This curved design allows the guide pin to conform to the bone's natural geometry, making insertion from behind the bone feasible and accurate. The curved surface of the guide pin acts as an adaptive interface that accommodates the irregular bone topology while maintaining the precise insertion angle needed for accurate tunnel positioning.
3Manufacturing precision
If a reference bone tunnel is bored through the thighbone bottom portion to determine the second tunnel position, then the second tunnel positioning becomes accurate, but the procedure cannot be performed when no reference tunnel exists
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary action by inserting the guide pin from behind the thighbone bottom portion to establish the correct tunnel trajectory before any reference tunnel is created. This preliminary guide pin insertion defines the precise path for the first bone tunnel, eliminating the need for a reference tunnel to determine positioning. The guide pin is placed in advance according to the desired tunnel geometry, enabling accurate tunnel creation from the start.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide pin serves as a self-contained positioning tool that carries all necessary alignment information within its structure. Instead of requiring an external reference tunnel to define the second tunnel position, the guide pin itself provides the self-service function of establishing the correct trajectory, angle, and depth for tunnel creation, making the procedure independent of reference tunnels.
Data Source
AI summary
A guide pin piercing jig includes a curved frame, a front cylinder unit provided at a front end of the frame, and a rear cylinder unit provided at a rear end of the frame, in which the front cylinder unit has a positioning projection and a boring aiming portion at a tip thereof, the rear cylinder unit has a plurality of parallel guide pin insertion cylinders into which to insert the guide pins and a tentative fixing unit provided at a tip of the rear cylinder unit, and the rear cylinder unit is provided at a rear end of the frame slidably so as be directed to a tip of the front cylinder unit. It becomes possible to aim at a proper portion of a living body bone through which to bore a bone tunnel and to pierce the living body bone with guide pins for hollow drills from behind the living body bone to the proper aiming portion in a proper direction.