Patient-Specific Orthopedic Alignment Guide with Resorbable Pins
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current orthopedic devices for joint arthroplasty lack precise alignment and resection guides that are patient-specific, leading to potential inaccuracies and complications during bone resection procedures.
Innovation Solution
Development of patient-specific alignment guides with resorbable alignment pins and cutting slots, designed to conform to individual bone anatomy using computer-assisted imaging, allowing for precise resection without the need for post-operative pin removal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If patient-specific alignment guides with resorbable alignment pins are used, then surgical precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The alignment guide is divided into multiple functional components: a patient-specific alignment guide body, separate resorbable alignment pins, and guiding bores. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently - the guide body provides precise anatomical alignment while the pins provide temporary structural support that is resorbed afterward, reducing the need for complex removal mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
Resorbable alignment pins serve as an intermediary element between the alignment guide and the bone. These pins are inserted through guiding bores to temporarily secure the guide in place during surgery, then naturally resorb and eliminate the need for separate pin removal procedures, simplifying the overall surgical process despite the added complexity of the pin insertion step.
2Ease of operation
If resorbable alignment pins are used that can be sawn or cut off during resection, then post-operative pin removal is eliminated, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The alignment pins are made from resorbable materials with specific physical and chemical parameters that allow them to be sawn or cut off during bone resection. The material properties are selected to enable clean separation from the bone while maintaining structural integrity during use, then allowing controlled resorption afterward without requiring complex manufacturing processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The alignment pins are designed as disposable, resorbable components that perform their function temporarily during surgery and then naturally eliminate themselves. This approach trades the complexity of permanent pin removal procedures for the simplicity of inserting and allowing to resorb, with the pins being manufactured as single-use components that don't require recovery or removal operations.
3Measurement precision
If patient-specific alignment guides are designed with guiding bores and alignment pins, then alignment accuracy is improved, but surgical time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The alignment guide is pre-designed with integrated guiding bores and the alignment pins are pre-formed to fit these bores. This preliminary preparation allows for rapid intraoperative assembly - the guide is positioned and secured with pins before the actual bone resection begins, eliminating the need for time-consuming alignment adjustments during the procedure.
Solution Approach 2:
The guiding bores are merged directly into the alignment guide body structure, creating an integrated system where the guidance and alignment functions are combined in a single component. This integration eliminates the need for separate guiding elements and reduces the number of assembly steps, allowing the guide to be quickly positioned and secured with pins before surgery begins.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enhances surgical precision and minimizes surgical time by allowing for accurate bone resection directly through the guide, eliminating the need for pin removal and improving the overall efficiency of joint arthroplasty procedures.
Implementation Method 1
The alignment pins are resorbable and can be sawn or cut off during a resection of the bone
Data Source
AI summary
A method of preparing a distal femur for a knee joint implant includes mounting a patient-specific bone engagement surface of a femoral alignment guide on a complementary surface of a distal femur of a patient. A plurality of alignment pins is inserted through a corresponding plurality of guiding bores of the femoral alignment guide into the distal femur. A cutting guide is mounted on first and second alignment pins of the plurality of alignment pins, and a first resection of the distal femur is made using the cutting guide while cutting through the femoral alignment guide.