Patient-Specific Ankle Cutting Guides for Precise Bone Resection
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Solution Overview
Problem
The accuracy of bone resections during total ankle arthroplasty procedures is compromised due to the small operative area and limited visualization, making it difficult for surgeons to place implant components correctly.
Innovation Solution
Patient-specific ankle cutting guides with mating surfaces that engage non-resected bone surfaces, providing precise registration and guiding cutting instruments along orthogonal or slightly angled planes to accommodate patient anatomy, and including features like pin holes, windows, and alignment sights for enhanced accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional cutting guides are used in TAA procedures, then the device complexity is low, but the manufacturing precision and measurement precision of bone resections deteriorate due to limited visualization and small operative area
Solution Approach 1:
Patient-specific cutting guides are manufactured before surgery based on preoperative imaging data (CT scans). The guides incorporate patient-specific anatomical surface mappings that are created in advance, allowing the surgical team to plan the exact cutting planes and implant positioning before the actual surgery occurs. This preliminary preparation enables high precision without requiring complex intraoperative adjustment mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The cutting guides incorporate physical copies or replicas of the patient's specific anatomical surfaces. By creating a matching surface that mirrors the patient's actual bone geometry, the guide achieves precise registration without requiring complex real-time measurement systems during surgery. The copy approach transfers the complexity to the manufacturing phase rather than the surgical phase.
2Measurement precision
If conventional cutting guides are used in TAA procedures, then the device complexity is low, but the measurement precision deteriorates due to difficulty in visualizing the operative area
Solution Approach 1:
The patient-specific cutting guides extend beyond the traditional two-dimensional surface contact by incorporating three-dimensional anatomical surface mappings. The guides include depth information and volumetric considerations derived from CT imaging, allowing precise positioning in three-dimensional space without requiring complex intraoperative imaging or navigation systems.
Solution Approach 2:
All measurement and alignment planning is completed before surgery through preoperative imaging and computational design. The cutting guides are manufactured with pre-calculated alignment features based on the patient's specific anatomy, eliminating the need for complex real-time measurement devices during the surgical procedure.
3Manufacturing precision
If patient-specific cutting guides are implemented, then the manufacturing precision of bone resections is improved, but the device complexity and ease of manufacture worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patient-specific cutting guides are manufactured in advance using automated CNC machining or 3D printing technologies based on digital models derived from CT scans. By performing the manufacturing before surgery, the complexity of precise fabrication does not interfere with the surgical workflow, and the guides arrive at the operating room ready for immediate use.
Solution Approach 2:
Traditional manual fabrication methods are replaced with automated manufacturing processes such as CNC machining or additive manufacturing. These automated systems can precisely reproduce the complex patient-specific geometries without requiring skilled manual craftsmanship, thereby maintaining high manufacturing precision while reducing the skill level required for production.
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure includes devices for assisting in performing an ankle arthroplasty on a non-resected bone surface of a tibia and/or a talus. The devices may include patient-specific mating surfaces configured to engage the non-resected bone surface in a single relative position relative to the non-resected bone surface. The patient specific nature of the mating surface portion may be generated in the devices prior to the devices being brought into contact with the bone. The devices may include various cutting guides and holes for receiving fasteners to fasten the devices to the bone. The devices may include various features to enhance the stability and/or surface area contact between the devices and the bones.