Abdominal-Access Hip Joint Instrument for Capsule Preservation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional hip joint surgeries for osteoarthritis involve invasive procedures that damage the hip joint capsule, leading to prolonged recovery and increased risk of infection, with limited ability to restore full functionality due to penetration of the supporting fibrous capsule.

Innovation Solution

A surgical instrument designed to operate on the hip joint from the abdominal side of the pelvic bone, featuring adjustable or fixed bends, universal joints, and laparoscopic access, allowing minimally invasive procedures to ream, drill, and insert prosthetic parts without penetrating the hip joint capsule.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If conventional hip joint surgery is performed through lateral incision penetrating the fibrous capsule, then access to the joint is achieved and prosthesis can be implanted, but the hip joint capsule is damaged leading to prolonged recovery and increased infection risk

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaccess to hip jointVSAvoidinfection risk and recovery time

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The surgical approach is segmented into two separate access paths: one through the pelvic bone for acetabulum preparation and another through the femur for femoral component implantation. This allows the fibrous capsule to remain intact while still achieving necessary access to both joint components for prosthesis implantation

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

A guide instrument is introduced as an intermediary tool that passes through the fibrous capsule to create a passage for the prosthesis implantation instruments. The guide instrument enables precise positioning and creates a controlled pathway that minimizes capsule damage while maintaining access to the joint space

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Ease of manufacture

If the fibrous capsule is penetrated to access the hip joint, then prosthesis implantation is possible, but full functional recovery is limited due to capsule damage

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprosthesis implantationVSAvoidfunctional recovery speed

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The surgical procedure is divided into separate steps for acetabulum preparation and femoral preparation, each accessed through different bone pathways. This segmentation allows the fibrous capsule to remain intact while still enabling complete prosthesis implantation, thereby preserving full joint function and accelerating recovery

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of accessing the joint space directly from the lateral side through the capsule, the approach is inverted by accessing the joint components from opposite directions through the pelvic bone and femur respectively. This inversion allows prosthesis implantation without capsule penetration, preserving capsule integrity and enabling full functional recovery

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Data Source

PatentUS12396868B2Hip joint instrument and method

Publication Date: 2025.08.26 FORSELL PETER

AI summary

A surgical instrument for operating hip joint osteoarthritis in a human patient is provided. The hip joint comprises an acetabulum, being a part of the pelvic bone, and a caput femur, being the proximal part of the femoral bone. The surgical instrument is adapted to assist in the operating of the hip joint osteoarthritis from the abdominal side of the pelvic bone of said human patient.