Patient-Specific Registration Jig for Orthopaedic Instrument Alignment

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing orthopaedic surgical instruments lack precise registration to a patient's bony anatomy, leading to challenges in accurately positioning prosthetic implants during joint arthroplasty procedures.

Innovation Solution

A patient-specific registration jig with a patient-specific contact surface and adaptor is used to securely attach orthopaedic surgical instruments to a patient's bony anatomy, facilitating precise registration and tracking through a surgical navigation system.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If a patient-specific registration jig with patient-specific contact surface is used, then manufacturing precision and alignment accuracy are improved, but device complexity and customization requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvealignment accuracyVSAvoiddevice complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The registration jig is divided into distinct functional components: a head portion with patient-specific contact surfaces that interface with anatomical landmarks, and an adaptor portion that connects to the surgical instrument. This segmentation allows the complex customization to be concentrated in the head portion while the adaptor remains more standardized, thereby improving alignment accuracy through patient-specific geometry while managing overall device complexity through modular design.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patient-specific contact surfaces are designed and manufactured before surgery based on pre-operative imaging and planning. This preliminary customization allows the registration jig to be precisely fitted to the patient's anatomy in advance, ensuring high alignment accuracy during surgery without requiring complex intraoperative adjustments or procedures.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Measurement precision

If patient-specific customization is implemented, then measurement precision and positioning accuracy are improved, but ease of manufacture and standardization are worsened

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepositioning accuracyVSAvoidease of manufacture

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The registration jig is divided into distinct functional components: a head portion with patient-specific contact surfaces that interface with anatomical landmarks, and an adaptor portion that connects to the surgical instrument. This segmentation allows the complex customization to be concentrated in the head portion while the adaptor remains more standardized, thereby improving alignment accuracy through patient-specific geometry while managing overall device complexity through modular design.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patient-specific contact surfaces are defined by specific geometric parameters derived from pre-operative imaging data. By varying these geometric parameters (such as curvature, orientation, and landmark positions) based on individual patient anatomy, the system achieves high positioning accuracy while maintaining a consistent overall device architecture that can be manufactured using standardized processes with customized parameters.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Reliability

If a patient-specific registration jig is used, then reliability of instrument registration is improved, but device complexity and customization requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveregistration reliabilityVSAvoiddevice complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The registration jig is divided into distinct functional components: a head portion with patient-specific contact surfaces that interface with anatomical landmarks, and an adaptor portion that connects to the surgical instrument. This segmentation allows the complex customization to be concentrated in the head portion while the adaptor remains more standardized, thereby improving alignment accuracy through patient-specific geometry while managing overall device complexity through modular design.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The registration jig acts as an intermediary device between the patient's anatomy and the surgical instrument. The patient-specific head portion ensures reliable registration by precisely fitting anatomical landmarks, while the adaptor portion provides a standardized interface to the surgical instrument. This intermediary role isolates the complexity of patient-specific customization to the registration function while maintaining simplicity in the instrument interface.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS12419689B2Patient-specific registration jig and associated method for registering an orthopaedic surgical instrument to a patient

Publication Date: 2025.09.23 DEPUY SYNTHES PROD INC

AI summary

A patient-specific registration jig for registering an orthopaedic surgical instrument with a bony anatomy of a patient includes a head and an adaptor coupled to the head. The head includes a patient-specific contact surface configured to contact a portion of the patient's bony anatomy such that the head can be coupled to the patient's bony anatomy in a unique position. The adaptor includes an elongated shank having a first end coupled to the head and a second end and an adaptor end attached to the second end of the elongated shank. The adaptor end is configured to be received by a clutch of the orthopaedic surgical instrument. A method for registering the orthopaedic surgical instrument using the patient-specific registration jig is also disclosed.