Navigable Cutting Block for Universal Bone Resection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing bone resection tools require multiple cutting blocks of different sizes for various implants, making them unsuitable for minimally invasive surgery and increasing inventory needs, as they are not adaptable for all implant sizes and do not allow for all necessary resections with a single instrument.
Innovation Solution
A navigable cutting block with a base and top connected via walls, featuring outwardly facing surfaces to guide cutting tools and attachment holes for trackers, allowing the block to be floated and fixed on the bone using navigation systems for precise positioning and resection, with embodiments that include slots for mechanical setting of rotational positions to facilitate multiple cuts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If multiple cutting blocks of different sizes are used for various implant sizes, then the resection accuracy for different implants is improved, but the device complexity and inventory requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cutting block is designed with multiple outwardly facing surfaces that can be positioned against different surfaces of the bone (anterior, posterior, medial, lateral), allowing a single block to perform multiple resection functions for various implant sizes and types, eliminating the need for multiple specialized blocks
Solution Approach 2:
The cutting block incorporates a navigation system interface that allows dynamic positioning and orientation of the block during surgery, enabling the same physical block to adapt to different surgical requirements and implant sizes through real-time repositioning rather than requiring multiple fixed-size blocks
2Adaptability or versatility
If larger cutting blocks are used to accommodate all implant sizes, then versatility is improved, but the suitability for minimally invasive surgery deteriorates due to increased size
Solution Approach 1:
A single compact cutting block design with multiple functional surfaces provides versatility for all implant sizes without requiring larger block dimensions, maintaining minimally invasive surgical advantages while achieving universal applicability
Solution Approach 2:
The cutting block utilizes angular and orientational dimensions through its multiple outwardly facing surfaces and navigation-assisted positioning rather than increasing linear dimensions, allowing versatility to be achieved in the angular domain rather than the size domain
3Measurement precision
If separate distal resection block and block for remaining resections are used, then the precision for each specific resection is improved, but the number of instruments required increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cutting block combines multiple resection functions (distal resection, anterior resection, posterior resection, chamfer cuts) into a single integrated instrument with multiple outwardly facing surfaces, reducing the number of separate blocks from two or more to one while maintaining precision through navigation guidance
Solution Approach 2:
The single cutting block performs all necessary resection functions that previously required separate specialized blocks, with each outwardly facing surface capable of guiding cuts for different anatomical locations and implant types
Data Source
AI summary
A cutting block having a base, and a top connected to the base via four walls is disclosed. Each wall has an outwardly facing surface to guide a cutting tool. Each wall also has an attachment hole where a tracker may be attached. The cutting block is floated on the bone using the navigation system to position it at correct locations for the bone resection. After correctly locating the cutting block for each required cut, cutting block is fixed to the bone using pins and the bone resected. Same cutting block is suitable for resection of bone for installation of any size prosthetic device. For certain resections, the rotation angle may be mechanically set and need not be navigated.