Modular TPLO Implant and Drill Guide for Stable Fragment Fixation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing TPLO implants for stabilizing the tibial plateau in dogs and cats are inadequate in reattaching and stabilizing the cut segment of the tibial head, and often require invasive procedures with high risk of screw pullout and poor healing outcomes.
Innovation Solution
A modular implant system with U- or V-shaped extensions and screw holes designed for optimal fit and stability, along with a drill guide for precise drilling, allowing for improved attachment and reduced invasiveness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional TPLO implants are used to stabilize the tibial plateau, then the implant can be attached to the tibia, but the stability and reattachment of the cut caudal fragment is insufficient leading to poor healing outcomes
Solution Approach 1:
The implant is divided into multiple functional segments: a head portion for attaching to the cut caudal fragment, a cranial extension for attaching to the cranial tibial head fragment, and a caudal extension for attaching to the tibial corpus. This segmentation allows each portion to independently stabilize specific bone fragments, improving overall healing reliability while maintaining fragment stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The implant extends in multiple spatial dimensions with cranial and caudal extensions projecting from the head portion. This multi-dimensional configuration provides stable attachment points in different directions, securing the cut fragment through three-dimensional fixation rather than single-plane attachment, thereby improving both reliability and stability.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the implant overall length is reduced to minimize invasiveness, then the incision size is reduced and surrounding tissue is less disturbed, but the implant may have insufficient reach to properly stabilize both the cut fragment and the tibial corpus
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the implant into a compact head portion and separate cranial/caudal extensions, the design achieves efficient space utilization. The extensions project from the head in different directions, providing sufficient reach to multiple attachment sites without requiring a proportionally longer overall implant length, thus reducing tissue invasiveness while maintaining adequate stabilization capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The implant utilizes multi-dimensional spatial configuration with extensions projecting cranially and caudally from the head portion. This allows the implant to reach multiple attachment points in different directions without increasing overall length excessively, minimizing invasiveness while ensuring proper stabilization of both the cut fragment and tibial corpus.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the implant uses a modular design with extensions spaced apart, then the attachment stability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cranial extension, caudal extension, and head portion are merged into a single monolithic implant structure formed as one piece. This integration provides inherent structural stability and strength while distributing attachment points across different locations. The merged design achieves attachment stability through its unified structure rather than through modular assembly, avoiding the complexity of multiple separate components while maintaining robust stabilization capability.
Data Source
AI summary
Implant for use in Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy Surgery (TPLO), in particular for a dog or a cat, wherein the Implant is attachable to the tibial corpus, in particular to a medial surface of the tibia, and the tibial head after circular-segment like cutting and rotating a caudal fragment by screws through screw holes that extend along a screw hole axis from a medial surface to a lateral surface, including a proximal head portion, a cranial extension and a caudal extension.