Patient-Specific Orthopaedic Cutting Guide with Anatomical Contours
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current orthopaedic surgical instruments are generic and reusable, lacking customization to fit individual patient anatomy, which can lead to suboptimal alignment and resection during joint replacement surgeries, potentially affecting surgical precision and outcomes.
Innovation Solution
Development of customized patient-specific orthopaedic surgical instruments, such as femoral cutting guides, with unique negative contours matching patient-specific femoral condyles and anterior surfaces, and alignment slots aligning with the trochlear groove, fabricated using additive manufacturing technologies like Direct Metal Laser Sintering, ensuring precise fit and alignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If generic reusable orthopaedic surgical instruments are used, then device complexity is reduced and ease of manufacture is improved, but manufacturing precision and alignment accuracy deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
Patient-specific instruments are fabricated before surgery based on pre-operative imaging data (CT or MRI scans). The instruments incorporate patient-specific anatomical surface contours that are determined and manufactured in advance, allowing precise alignment and positioning during surgery without requiring complex intraoperative adjustments.
Solution Approach 2:
The patient-specific instruments include negative impressions or copies of the patient's unique femoral bone surface anatomy. These negative contours are created from 3D reconstructions of the patient's femur and are incorporated into the instrument design to ensure precise mating and positioning on the patient's anatomy during surgery.
2Manufacturing precision
If customized patient-specific instruments are fabricated, then manufacturing precision and surgical accuracy are improved, but productivity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The manufacturing process transitions from traditional subtractive methods to additive manufacturing (3D printing), which enables complex patient-specific geometries to be produced more efficiently. This parameter change in the manufacturing process allows for better scalability and reduced production time while maintaining high precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patient-specific instruments are designed as single-use disposable devices rather than reusable instruments. This approach eliminates the need for complex sterilization and reprocessing procedures, reduces cross-contamination risks, and allows for more efficient manufacturing workflows where each instrument is fabricated specifically for one surgical procedure and then discarded.
3Stability of the object's composition
If extensive bone contact is required for instrument positioning, then stability is improved, but bone displacement and surgical trauma increase
Solution Approach 1:
The instruments incorporate localized patient-specific surface contours that mate with specific anatomical features of the femur. Rather than requiring extensive broad-contact surfaces, the design uses precisely fitted local contact areas that match the patient's unique bone geometry, providing stable positioning with minimal overall bone contact and displacement.
Data Source
AI summary
An orthopaedic surgical instrument includes a customized patient-specific surgical instrument having a body. A cutting guide slot extends through the body. A pair of first arms extends posteriorly from the body. Each arm includes a first customized patient-specific negative contour configured to receive a portion of a first corresponding positive contour of one of a patient's femoral condyles. A second arm extends proximally from the body. The second arm has a second customized patient-specific negative contour configured to receive a portion of a second corresponding positive contour of an anterior surface of the patient's femur. A method of performing a surgical procedure is also disclosed.