Hip Navigation Jig With Inertial Landmark Registration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Hip replacement surgeries often result in poor placement of the cup and ball components of the prosthetic hip joint, leading to issues like dislocation and altered leg length, which are unsatisfactory for patients and inefficient for the healthcare system.
Innovation Solution
A hip joint navigation system using inertial sensors and jigs to accurately align prosthetic components with anatomical landmarks, allowing for precise placement and orientation of the cup and ball components relative to the anterior pelvic plane, even in posterior approaches without requiring pre-operative imaging.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional navigation methods are used with patient repositioning from supine to lateral position, then anatomical landmarks can be registered, but surgical workflow efficiency deteriorates due to extra movement time and sterility breaking
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary registration of anatomical landmarks while the patient is in the lateral position, eliminating the need for subsequent repositioning to supine position. The navigation system captures and stores landmark data in the lateral position, allowing all surgical navigation to proceed from this registered state without requiring patient movement.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of registering landmarks in supine position and then moving to lateral position for surgery, the system inverts the sequence by performing registration directly in the lateral position. This reversal of the conventional workflow eliminates the harmful repositioning step while maintaining registration accuracy.
2Manufacturing precision
If inertial sensors are used for navigation, then placement precision improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces complex mechanical measurement and alignment tools with inertial sensors that use electromagnetic fields (accelerometers and gyroscopes) to detect anatomical orientations. This substitution of mechanical systems with sensor-based systems achieves higher precision while the computational algorithms process the sensor data to provide navigation guidance.
Solution Approach 2:
Inertial sensors serve as intermediaries between the surgical instruments and the anatomical structures. The sensors detect the orientation and position of surgical tools relative to the patient's anatomy, providing navigation information without requiring direct mechanical coupling or complex mechanical alignment procedures.
3Reliability
If pre-operative imaging is required for navigation, then anatomical planning improves, but preparation time and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The navigation system performs self-orientation and self-registration by using inertial sensors to automatically detect anatomical landmarks and establish the anterior pelvic plane during the surgical procedure itself. This eliminates the need for separate preoperative imaging sessions and allows the system to orient itself in real-time based on the actual surgical anatomy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary registration of anatomical landmarks and establishment of reference planes during the lateral position registration phase, so that all subsequent surgical navigation can proceed without requiring additional preoperative imaging or repositioning. The registration is completed in advance of the actual component placement.
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
Enhances the accuracy of hip joint component placement, reducing the risk of dislocation and improving surgical outcomes by ensuring proper alignment and leg length, thus increasing patient satisfaction and reducing the need for revision surgeries.
Implementation Method 1
At least one inertial sensor is coupled to the jig. The second portion of the jig is moved relative to the first portion to touch, e.g., sequentially, a plurality of anatomical landmarks.
Data Source
AI summary
In another embodiment, a hip joint navigation jig is provided that includes an anatomical interface comprising a bone engagement portion. A registration jig is also provided that is coupled, e.g., removably, with the anatomical interface. A rotatable member is provided for rotation about an axis that is not vertical when the jig is mounted to the bone adjacent to a hip joint and the registration jig is coupled with the anatomical interface. An anatomy engaging probe is coupled with the rotatable member for rotation about the axis and is translatable to enable the probe to be brought into contact with a plurality of anatomical landmarks during a procedure. An inertial sensor is coupled with the probe to indicate orientation related to the landmarks, the sensor being disposed in a different orientation relative to horizontal when the probe is in contact with the landmarks.