Modular 3D Printed Surgical Guide for Osteotomy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current surgical guides for osteotomy operations, especially tibial addition, are prone to human error due to reliance on intraoperative visual references and complex assembly, requiring lengthy calibration and excessive X-ray supervision, which complicates precise placement and accommodation of osteosynthesis plates.
Innovation Solution
A modular surgical guide created via additive manufacturing from personalized 3D models, featuring interchangeable modules with pre-calculated angles and hole arrangements for Kirschner wires, allowing precise positioning and reducing the need for intraoperative calibration, enabling accurate osteotomy and osteosynthesis plate placement without radiating the surgeon.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional surgical guides are used with intraoperative visual references, then the surgeon can perform the operation, but the precision of the correction is reduced due to human error
Solution Approach 1:
The surgical guide is designed and manufactured before the operation based on preoperative CT scans and virtual correction planning. All measurement and calculation work is completed beforehand, eliminating intraoperative visual estimation and human error in measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The surgical guide is a physical copy or replica of the virtual correction plan created in preoperative imaging software. The guide reproduces the exact correction angles and positions determined virtually, transferring the digital precision to the physical surgical field.
2Adaptability or versatility
If complex surgical guides requiring assembly and calibration in the operating room are used, then the guide can be adapted to patient requirements, but the operation time increases and calibration errors occur
Solution Approach 1:
The surgical guide is fully assembled and calibrated before the operation in the manufacturing process. The guide is delivered to the operating room ready-to-use, eliminating intraoperative assembly and calibration steps that consume time and introduce errors.
Solution Approach 2:
The surgical guide consists of modular components that are pre-assembled into a complete unit. The guide body, positioning elements, and cutting guides are integrated in a predetermined configuration that maintains adaptability while eliminating assembly steps during surgery.
3Manufacturing precision
If complex surgical guides requiring X-ray supervision for calibration are used, then the calibration precision can be improved, but the surgeon is exposed to radiation for a long period
Solution Approach 1:
All calibration and verification of the surgical guide is performed before the operation during manufacturing. The guide is calibrated against the virtual correction plan in advance, eliminating the need for prolonged X-ray supervision during surgery and reducing radiation exposure.
Solution Approach 2:
The calibration process is replaced by direct comparison with the virtual correction plan during manufacturing, rather than requiring iterative X-ray verification during surgery. This substitutes radiation-based verification with preoperative digital planning and physical guide fabrication.
4Ease of operation
If the drilling of bone holes is performed after cutting the bone, then the guide can be placed on the cut surface, but the bone is weakened and may require stronger fixation
Solution Approach 1:
The surgical guide is designed with flexible positioning capabilities that allow it to be placed on both cut and uncut bone surfaces. The guide's positioning elements can adapt to different bone conditions, enabling hole drilling before cutting when bone strength is compromised.
Solution Approach 2:
The surgical guide serves multiple functions: it can guide both the osteotomy cut and the subsequent hole drilling for plate fixation. The guide remains applicable whether holes are drilled before or after cutting, providing universal functionality for different surgical sequences.
Data Source
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AI summary
The guide of the invention, obtained by means of additive technology, completely personalised for the patient to be treated, enables the osteotomy operation to be carried out quickly, extremely precisely and safely, such that by virtue of a modular character, wherein several intermediate modules participate, as well as an upper module and a lower module, enables the implantation of Kirschner wires at the exact angle, which act as guides for the cutting tool, as well as the guiding and positioning of an osteosynthesis plate, with interchangeable intermediate modules which enable the manoeuvres for adapting the bone to the plate to be carried out in a precise manner.