Patient-Matched Cutting Block for Precise Bone Resurfacing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current orthopedic surgeries for conditions like femoroacetabular impingements often rely on free-hand milling or burring, which can be imprecise, leading to improper fitting of implants and varying results due to the complexity and expense of computer-assisted systems.
Innovation Solution
A patient-matched cutting block system with a housing and bone mating surface, featuring cutting guides for both lateral and depth boundaries, is used to guide cutting tools for precise bone resurfacing, utilizing images of the bone to create a custom-fit mold for the cutting block.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If free-hand milling or burring is used based on visual estimates, then the surgical procedure is simple to perform, but the precision and accuracy of bone resurfacing deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The cutting block is prepared in advance with pre-defined cutting zones, lateral boundaries, and depth boundaries based on the desired bone resurfacing geometry. This preliminary preparation of the guide structure eliminates the need for complex real-time computer assistance during surgery, while ensuring precise bone removal according to pre-planned parameters.
Solution Approach 2:
The cutting block serves as an intermediary physical guide between the surgeon and the bone. It translates the desired resurfacing geometry into tangible lateral and depth boundaries that constrain the cutting tool, providing precision without requiring complex electronic or software systems during the actual surgical procedure.
2Manufacturing precision
If computer-assisted surgery systems are used with complex tool registration, then the implant fit precision improves, but the device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and separates the complex tool registration and real-time guidance functions from the surgical procedure, consolidating all necessary precision information into the physically prepared cutting block. This eliminates the need for complex electronic registration systems, cameras, and software during surgery, while maintaining precise implant fit through the pre-defined cutting zones and boundaries in the cutting block.
3Measurement precision
If free-hand cutting is used to shape bone for implant reception, then the surgical procedure is faster and simpler, but the accuracy of bone shaping deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The cutting block is designed to be self-guiding, with its own integrated lateral and depth boundaries that automatically constrain the cutting tool without requiring external guidance systems or complex surgical techniques. The surgeon simply follows the physical boundaries of the cutting block, making the operation simple while ensuring accurate bone shaping for implant reception.
Data Source
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AI summary
Systems and methods provide patient-specific cutting blocks that allow for bone resurfacing procedures, such as milling or burring, with simplified devices. A computer assisted surgical cutting block is produced having a surface region that matches with the surface region of a patient's bone to be altered. A cutting tool may be provided having a contoured bone mating surface and a contoured and patient-specific shaped cutting guide surface, which is located in a plane above the bone mating surface. One or more channels are provided in the cutting block, and as the surgeon moves the cutting tool (a milling or burring, for example) in the channels the tool cuts the bone both laterally along the surface of the bone and vertically into the bone according to the cutting guide surface and other preselected surface features of the cutting block.