Modular Intramedullary Ankle Guide System for Minimally Invasive Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current ankle replacement procedures often result in stiff and immobile ankles due to fusion or require invasive methods, leading to limited use and additional stress on other joints, with a desire for less invasive and more effective surgical solutions.
Innovation Solution
An intramedullary guide system comprising modular components that form a single intramedullary rod for guiding tools to create a passage between the tibia and talus, allowing for minimally invasive implantation of an ankle prosthesis with precise alignment and adjustment capabilities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If ankle joint fusion is performed to treat injured or diseased ankle joints, then joint stability is improved, but ankle mobility is lost and stress on knee and hip joints increases
Solution Approach 1:
The intramedullary rod is divided into multiple modular segments that can be independently positioned and connected. This segmentation allows the rod to provide stable support while permitting controlled ankle motion, avoiding the complete immobilization caused by fusion. Each segment can be adjusted to maintain proper alignment while allowing physiological movement.
Solution Approach 2:
The intramedullary rod system transitions from a static fused joint to a dynamic structure that allows controlled motion. The modular segments with connection mechanisms enable the ankle joint to move within specific ranges while maintaining stability, creating a dynamic balance between support and mobility.
2Reliability
If traditional invasive surgical methods are used for ankle replacement, then prosthesis implantation is achieved, but surgical trauma and recovery time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The prosthesis is divided into modular components that can be inserted and assembled separately through smaller incisions. This segmentation enables minimally invasive surgical access while ensuring reliable implantation of the complete prosthesis system, reducing surgical trauma compared to single-piece replacement methods.
Solution Approach 2:
Smaller modular prosthesis components are nested within each other or inserted through channels in larger components. This nesting approach allows complex multi-component prostheses to be delivered through minimally invasive access points, reducing surgical trauma while maintaining implantation reliability.
3Manufacturing precision
If modular intramedullary rod components are used, then alignment precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The intramedullary rod is segmented into multiple standardized modular components with precise connection interfaces. Each segment can be manufactured with high precision using standardized processes, and the modular design allows for precise alignment through controlled assembly of these segments, achieving high alignment precision without requiring the entire rod to be a custom complex structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The modular components are designed with universal connection mechanisms that can accommodate various segment configurations. This universality reduces the need for multiple specialized components, managing device complexity while maintaining the ability to achieve precise alignment through different modular arrangements.
Data Source
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AI summary
A system for providing intramedullary guidance to implant an ankle prosthesis, comprises a first tool sized and configured to form a passage between a tibia (10) and a talus (20), a second tool sized and configured to create an intramedullary canal (12) in a distal end of said tibia, a plurality of modular tibial rod components (102, 104, 106) sized and configured to be disposed in said intramedullary canal (12) and connected to each other in situ to form a single tibial rod component, a base modular component (106) on a distal end of said tibial rod component configured to engage an alignment guide (200), and said alignment guide (200) configured to translate coronal, transverse, and sagittal adjustments from the alignment guide (200) to a cutting guide.