Pivoting Unicondylar Cutting Block for Soft Tissue Tension Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing surgical instruments for partial knee replacement procedures face challenges in accurately making femoral cuts that consider the impact on soft tissue structures, leading to issues such as excessive tension or laxity in ligaments, which can affect the success of the procedure.
Innovation Solution
A unicondylar posterior cutting block with a pivotally attached body that rotates relative to a base, allowing for adjustable cutting guides, and a kit of surgical instrumentation including various tibial spacers and cutting blocks to accommodate different implant sizes and positions, ensuring precise cuts that account for soft tissue tension.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a fixed cutting block is used to make femoral cuts, then the cutting position is predetermined, but the ability to adjust for soft tissue tension is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The cutting block incorporates a pivotable body that can rotate relative to the base about a pivot axis, allowing the cutting guide to dynamically adjust its orientation. This dynamic mechanism enables the surgeon to tilt the cutting guide to account for soft tissue tension while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure through the use of a curved cam surface and pivot mechanism.
2Manufacturing precision
If the cutting guide is fixed relative to the base, then the device structure is simple, but the cutting precision relative to soft tissue structures is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The pivot mechanism allows the cutting guide to be tilted at various angles relative to the base, enabling precise adjustment to account for soft tissue tension and anatomical variations. The curved cam surface guides the rotation path, ensuring controlled and repeatable positioning while maintaining reasonable structural complexity.
3Ease of operation
If the body is rigidly attached to the base, then the device is structurally simple, but the ability to rotate for alignment is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The body is connected to the base through a pivot mechanism that allows rotation about a pivot axis. The curved cam surface on the base interacts with a corresponding surface on the body, guiding the rotation motion and enabling easy alignment with femoral markings while maintaining structural integrity through the pivot connection.
Data Source
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AI summary
A unicondylar posterior cutting block, method of use and kit of surgical components are provided, with the cutting block comprising: a base which is mountable on a resected proximal tibial surface of a knee of a patient in use; and a body pivotally attached to the base, the body including an alignment formation arranged to align with a marking on a femur in use, the body defining a cutting guide therein for receiving a cutting instrument to make a unicondylar posterior cut in the femur and wherein moving the alignment formation to align with the marking on the femur causes the body to rotate relative to the base and to tilt the cutting guide relative to the base. Different bases offer different cut positions and rotation of the base offers further different cut positions.