Helical Bone Clamp Fixation for Low-Artifact Surgical Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional bone clamps and bone screw attachments for surgical trackers are invasive, cause tissue damage, and create large artifacts in intraoperative images due to their size and material properties.
Innovation Solution
A bone clamp with rotatably supported clamping members featuring a helical bone engaging structure, made of radiolucent material, that minimizes invasiveness and reduces image artifacts, and includes a gear unit for simultaneous actuation of multiple clamping members.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional bone clamps use large jaw surfaces to ensure stable grip, then the clamping stability is improved, but the invasiveness of the procedure increases and more tissue damage occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The clamping members feature a curved or arc-shaped design that conforms to the cylindrical geometry of the bone. This curvature allows the clamping members to engage the bone surface more efficiently with smaller contact areas, reducing tissue damage while maintaining stable grip through geometric conformity rather than large surface area.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the geometric parameters of the clamping members, specifically introducing a curved profile with optimized radius of curvature. This parameter change enables the clamps to achieve stable engagement with bone at smaller sizes, resolving the contradiction between stability and tissue damage by optimizing the shape parameters rather than increasing size.
2Strength
If conventional bone clamps are made from non-radiolucent materials like stainless steel, then the mechanical strength is improved, but large artifacts are created in intraoperative imaging
Solution Approach 1:
The bone clamp is constructed from composite materials combining radiolucent components (such as radiolucent polymer or titanium alloy) with strategically placed radiopaque elements. This composite approach allows the majority of the structure to be radiolucent for minimal imaging artifacts, while specific critical areas incorporate radiopaque materials to maintain necessary mechanical strength and provide imaging visibility when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of making the entire clamp radiolucent or radiopaque, the invention applies local quality by using radiopaque materials only in specific localized areas where mechanical strength is most critical or where imaging visibility is needed, while the remaining portions use radiolucent materials to minimize overall imaging artifacts.
3Reliability
If bone screws are used to attach the tracker, then the fixation stability is improved, but the invasiveness and tissue injury increase
Solution Approach 1:
The clamping members are designed with curved surfaces that conform to the bone geometry, enabling stable attachment through surface engagement rather than penetration. This curved design allows the tracker to be firmly fixed to the bone without the need for invasive screw insertion, eliminating tissue injury associated with bone screw placement while maintaining fixation stability.
4Ease of operation
If the clamping members are made rotatable with helical bone engaging structures, then the ease of mounting and dismounting is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The helical bone engaging structures on the rotatable clamping members are designed to self-engage with the bone surface through simple rotational motion. The helical geometry automatically guides the clamping member onto the bone and secures it in place, eliminating the need for complex adjustment mechanisms or multiple操作步骤. The same rotational mechanism also enables easy disengagement, providing self-service mounting and dismounting functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The combination of curved clamping member bodies and helical engaging structures creates a streamlined, geometry-driven attachment system. The curved profile ensures proper alignment and engagement with the cylindrical bone surface, while the helical features provide automatic securing through rotation, reducing the need for additional complex components or adjustment mechanisms.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The bone clamp provides stable fixation with reduced tissue damage and minimal image interference, facilitating precise surgical tracking with improved surgical visibility and ease of use.
Implementation Method 1
The at least one rotatably supported clamping member has a bone engaging structure extending helically along at least a part of a length of its body. The bone engaging structure is configured to engage a side surface of the bone upon rotation of the at least one rotatably supported clamping member.
Data Source
AI summary
A bone clamp including two or more clamping members configured to clampingly receive a bone therebetween. The bone clamp further includes a basis supporting at least two of the clamping members at a first distance to each other. At least one of the at least two clamping members has a body and is rotatably supported by the basis. The at least one rotatably supported clamping member has a bone engaging structure extending helically along at least a part of a length of its body. The bone engaging structure is configured to engage a side surface of the bone upon rotation of the at least one rotatably supported clamping member. Depending on the direction of the rotation, the rotatably supported clamping member advances along the side surface of the bone either in a downward direction for mounting the bone clamp or in an upward direction for dismounting the bone clamp.