Knee Sizing Tool for Precise Revision Spacer Fitting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current revision procedures for total knee arthroplasty often require a two-stage process, with static spacers diminishing in favor of articulating spacers that provide better range of motion, but lack effective tools for precise tibial and femoral component sizing during revision surgeries.
Innovation Solution
A diameter sizing tool and method for determining accurate tibial and femoral dowel diameters using a reusable spacer block with through holes and central cutouts, allowing for precise fitting and smoothing of antibiotic cement to create a balanced, stable, and durable articulating antibiotic spacer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If articulating spacers are used instead of static spacers, then range of motion and surgical approach are improved, but lack of precise sizing tools for tibial and femoral components results in inadequate measurement precision
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary sizing tool that mediates between the articulating spacer and the final implant components. This tool includes a body with multiple holes of different diameters that serve as a reference framework for measuring and determining the appropriate sizes of tibial and femoral components, thereby enabling precise sizing during revision surgery.
Solution Approach 2:
The sizing tool is segmented into multiple functional elements: a body containing multiple holes with different diameters, each hole serving as a separate measurement reference. This segmentation allows surgeons to select and compare different size options systematically for both tibial and femoral component sizing.
2Reliability
If a two-stage revision procedure is performed, then infection eradication is achieved, but patient mobility and quality of life are reduced during the intermediate period
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by performing precise sizing and creating a well-fitted articulating spacer during the first stage surgery. This preliminary precision in component sizing and spacer construction optimizes the stability and functionality of the spacer, thereby improving patient mobility and potentially eliminating the need for a second stage procedure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the sizing function from complex measurement procedures and consolidates it into a single integrated sizing tool with reference holes. This extracted and simplified sizing approach enables more accurate and efficient determination of component sizes during the first stage, contributing to better immediate outcomes.
3Device complexity
If static spacers are used, then surgical simplicity is maintained, but range of motion and functional outcomes are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The sizing tool serves multiple functions: it provides reference diameters for both tibial and femoral component sizing, enables gap measurement, and facilitates verification of component fit. This multi-functional tool maintains surgical simplicity by consolidating multiple measurement tasks into a single instrument while enabling the creation of optimally fitted articulating spacers.
Data Source
AI summary
A diameter sizing tool for use in reversion of total knee arthroplasty, the diameter sizing tool including a body having an upper surface, a lower surface, and a peripheral edge, a central cutout disposed through the body from the upper surface to the lower surface, and a plurality of sizing through-holes circumferentially disposed in the body and radially towards the peripheral edge.