Pre-operative Knee Alignment Planning via 3D Tibial Rotation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional unicondylar knee arthroplasty procedures rely on a trial and error method for achieving joint alignment, which is time-consuming and often results in excessive bone removal.
Innovation Solution
A pre-operative planning system that uses imaging data to create a three-dimensional model of the knee joint, allowing surgeons to visualize and manipulate the alignment virtually by rotating the tibia with respect to the femur about a pivot point, thereby determining the optimal positions for bone cuts and prosthesis components before surgery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If traditional trial and error technique is used for knee joint alignment, then surgeon can achieve joint alignment through iterative adjustments, but the procedure becomes time-consuming and results in excessive bone removal
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by performing virtual surgical planning and simulation before the actual surgery. The system creates a 3D model of the patient's knee joint, allows virtual manipulation of bone cuts and prosthesis positioning, and determines the optimal surgical plan in advance. This pre-operative virtual rehearsal eliminates the need for time-consuming trial and error during actual surgery, directly resolving the contradiction between alignment precision and surgery time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a virtual copy (3D digital model) of the patient's actual knee joint anatomy. This digital replica allows surgeons to perform virtual trial and error without affecting the real patient, testing different alignment scenarios and bone cut positions. The virtual copy enables precise planning while avoiding excessive bone removal in the actual surgery, resolving the contradiction between achieving precise alignment and minimizing surgery time.
2Manufacturing precision
If traditional trial and error technique is used for knee joint alignment, then surgeon can achieve joint alignment through iterative adjustments, but excessive bone is removed from tibia and femur
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary virtual planning to determine the exact bone cuts and prosthesis positioning needed before actual surgery. By simulating the procedure in advance on a 3D model, the surgeon can identify the precise amount of bone to be removed, avoiding excessive bone resection that occurs with traditional iterative methods. This ensures optimal joint alignment while preserving maximum bone stock.
Solution Approach 2:
The virtual 3D model serves as a copy of the actual knee joint, allowing the surgeon to test and finalize the surgical plan without touching the real bone. All trial and error adjustments are performed on the digital replica, enabling precise determination of bone cut positions and prosthesis sizing before the actual surgery, thereby minimizing unnecessary bone removal.
3Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If open procedure with large incision is used, then surgeon has excellent view of bone surface, but soft tissue damage increases and rehabilitation time lengthens
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary virtual planning that precisely defines the surgical approach, bone cut positions, and prosthesis positioning before surgery. This advance planning allows for more precise and potentially smaller incisions since the surgeon knows exactly what needs to be done, reducing soft tissue trauma while maintaining excellent bone surface visibility through the planned approach.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical need for large physical incisions with a computational system. The 3D imaging and virtual planning software substitutes for the need to physically expose large areas of the joint, allowing surgeons to plan and execute more minimally invasive procedures while maintaining precise control over bone surface visualization and prosthesis positioning.
Data Source
AI summary
A joint alignment method comprises using imaging data of at least a portion of a leg to create a leg model, wherein the leg model includes a femur having medial and lateral condyles and a tibia having tibial plateaus that are configured to engage the medial and lateral condyles at a knee joint, displaying an image of the leg model for manipulation by a user, locating a pivot point within one of the medial or lateral condyles, and rotating, in the displayed image, the tibia with respect to the femur, about the pivot point, to obtain a desired knee joint articulation in a specified plane.