Patient-Specific Surgical Guide for Glenoid Landmark Placement
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Solution Overview
Problem
In surgical procedures, especially for joint replacements like shoulder prosthetics, the non-standard anatomy of the glenoid vault poses challenges for accurate anchoring of prosthetic components, and minimally invasive techniques often limit visual access, making it difficult for surgeons to precisely locate landmarks for guiding the implantation.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for associating a plurality of landmarks with patient tissue, using a customized apparatus that is partially designed based on preoperative imaging, allowing for precise placement of landmarks at predetermined locations and trajectories on both primary and secondary tissue areas, thereby aiding in the accurate positioning and orientation of prosthetic implants.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If minimally invasive surgical techniques are used, then patient trauma is reduced, but visual access to the surgical site is limited making landmark placement difficult
Solution Approach 1:
Patient-specific guides are manufactured before surgery based on preoperative imaging data. These guides incorporate predetermined landmark locations and trajectories, allowing surgeons to accurately place landmarks even with limited visual access during minimally invasive procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patient-specific guide acts as an intermediary tool that translates preoperative planning information into precise intraoperative landmark placement. The guide includes features like apertures, slots, or boreholes that directly indicate where landmarks should be placed, eliminating the need for direct visual observation of deep surgical sites.
2Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If traditional surgical techniques with extensive exposure are used, then visual access to the surgical site is improved, but patient trauma increases
Solution Approach 1:
All necessary landmark locations and trajectories are determined during preoperative planning using imaging data. The patient-specific guide is manufactured with these predetermined parameters, allowing accurate landmark placement without needing extensive surgical exposure during the procedure itself.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the need for extensive mechanical exposure and direct visual observation with a pre-fabricated guiding system that encodes the necessary spatial information. The guide's physical features (apertures, slots, surfaces) directly indicate landmark positions, substituting for the surgeon's visual assessment.
3Measurement precision
If intraoperative imaging is used frequently to ensure accuracy, then positional accuracy of landmarks is improved, but operative time increases
Solution Approach 1:
Landmark locations and trajectories are predetermined using preoperative imaging and planning. The patient-specific guide is manufactured with these parameters already encoded, allowing surgeons to place landmarks accurately without repeated intraoperative imaging to verify positions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patient-specific guide provides immediate physical feedback through its structure (apertures, slots, contact surfaces) to confirm correct positioning and landmark placement. This built-in feedback mechanism eliminates the need for time-consuming intraoperative imaging to verify accuracy.
Data Source
AI summary
A guide for placing a landmark(s) in a patient tissue comprises a central portion defining at least one guiding bore configured to receive and guide a tool for placing the at least one landmark in the patient tissue. Extended portions project away from the central portion, each of the extended portions having respective lower base surfaces contoured to mate with the patient tissue, at least the respective lower base surfaces being customized as a function of preoperative imaging of the patient tissue, whereby the guide is specific to the patient.