Robotic Pelvic Implant Navigation for Accurate Screw Trajectories
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current surgical fixation methods for pelvic fractures, such as External Fixation, Open Reduction Internal Fixation (ORIF), and Percutaneous Fixation, face challenges including high radiation exposure, increased blood loss, infection risk, and difficulty in accurate screw placement, necessitating a navigated procedure for safe and reliable fracture reduction.
Innovation Solution
A robotic system with a control unit, end effector, patient position sensor, and anatomical database is used to determine implant and trajectory selection, employing a drill and implant insertion mechanism for precise screw placement, minimizing radiation and blood loss, and ensuring accurate screw trajectory.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If External Fixation is used for pelvic fractures, then temporary fixation can be achieved, but radiation exposure and infection risk increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical fluoroscopic guidance systems with a robotic navigation system that uses preoperative CT imaging and computer-assisted surgery (CAS) software to plan and execute screw placement. This substitution eliminates the need for intraoperative fluoroscopy, thereby reducing radiation exposure to both patients and surgical staff while maintaining fixation reliability through precise robotic guidance.
2Reliability
If Open Reduction Internal Fixation (ORIF) is used for pelvic fractures, then rigid fixation can be achieved, but surgical complexity and blood loss increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the complex pelvic fracture treatment into a systematic navigation process with distinct phases: preoperative CT imaging, automated fracture detection and classification, virtual surgical planning, intraoperative robotic registration, and guided screw insertion. This segmentation allows each step to be optimized independently, reducing overall surgical complexity while maintaining fixation stability through automated trajectory guidance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical guidance techniques with an automated robotic navigation system that uses image-guided planning and robotic execution. This substitution reduces surgical complexity by eliminating the need for multiple surgeons and manual fluoroscopic guidance, while also reducing blood loss through minimally invasive percutaneous approaches enabled by precise robotic positioning.
3Ease of operation
If Percutaneous Fixation is used for pelvic fractures, then minimally invasive treatment can be achieved, but fluoroscopy usage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces intraoperative fluoroscopy with a preoperative CT-based navigation system that uses computer-assisted surgery (CAS) software to plan screw trajectories and guide robotic insertion. This substitution maintains the minimally invasive percutaneous approach while completely eliminating the need for intraoperative fluoroscopy, thereby reducing radiation exposure to patients and staff.
4Manufacturing precision
If traditional surgical navigation is used for pelvic fractures, then screw placement accuracy can be improved, but operating time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs all navigation planning, trajectory optimization, and surgical simulation in advance during the preoperative phase using CT imaging and CAS software. The robotic system is pre-programmed with the optimal screw trajectories and implant positions. This preliminary action eliminates the need for time-consuming intraoperative planning and allows the surgeon to proceed directly to execution, thereby reducing operating time while maintaining high screw placement accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual measurement and marking techniques with an automated robotic navigation system that uses image-guided planning and robotic execution. The system automatically calculates optimal trajectories, registers patient anatomy to virtual models, and guides screw insertion with sub-millimeter precision. This automation significantly reduces the time required for navigation while maintaining or improving accuracy compared to traditional manual methods.
5Measurement precision
If multiple classification systems and imaging modalities are used for fracture planning, then treatment plan accuracy can be improved, but diagnostic complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a single preoperative CT scan to perform multiple functions: visualizing the fracture pattern, measuring anatomical landmarks, determining fracture classification (Young-Burgess and Tile systems), planning screw trajectories, and simulating the surgical outcome. This multi-functional approach consolidates what would traditionally require multiple imaging modalities and classification systems into one integrated workflow, reducing diagnostic complexity while maintaining or improving assessment accuracy.
Data Source
AI summary
A navigated pelvic implant system includes a robot with a control unit and an end effector, at least one patient position sensor in electronic communication with the robot, and a database of anatomical information, including anatomical features, that is in electronic communication with the control unit; where the control unit receives patient imaging information and determines variance between a patient and other patients found in the database, and then the control unit selects at least one implant and an associated trajectory for surgery, then the control unit determines position of the patient through input imaging data and input from the at least one patient position sensor, the control unit will then proceed with the previously determined implant and trajectory, followed by the end effector using a drill to create an opening and holding an implant insertion mechanism to secure the implant within the opening in the patient's pelvis.