Posterior Resection Guides for Robotic Partial Knee Gap Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional partial knee arthroplasties face challenges in aligning and coordinating resections of the tibia and femur bones to ensure proper gap height for prosthetic seating, requiring multiple instruments that complicate surgeries and are unsuitable for robot-assisted procedures.
Innovation Solution
The use of robotic surgery planning software, surgical navigation systems, shims, and robotically-guided femur and tibia cut guide blocks to facilitate precise positioning of posterior resection guides, along with methods for digitizing and aligning these guides using tracking devices and robotic arms to maintain gap height and femoral rotation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If multiple instruments are used for resections in traditional partial knee arthroplasties, then proper gap height and alignment can be achieved, but device complexity and surgical time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple resection instruments into a single integrated robotically-guided instrument that can perform both distal and posterior resections. This merging eliminates the need to attach multiple separate instruments to the robotic arm, reducing device complexity while maintaining the ability to control gap height and alignment through coordinated resection depths.
Solution Approach 2:
The resection instrument is designed with multi-functionality, capable of performing multiple resection operations (distal and posterior) with a single device. The instrument includes adjustable components that can be positioned at different depths and angles to achieve various resection requirements, eliminating the need for multiple specialized instruments.
2Manufacturing precision
If multiple instruments are attached to robotic arm, then precise resections can be performed, but ease of operation decreases due to repeated attachment and registration
Solution Approach 1:
By combining multiple resection functions into one instrument, the surgeon only needs to attach and register a single instrument to the robotic arm. This eliminates the repetitive process of detaching, reattaching, and re-registering multiple instruments, significantly improving ease of operation while maintaining resection accuracy through the instrument's integrated guidance features.
Solution Approach 2:
The instrument is pre-configured with multiple resection surfaces and positioning features that are prepared in advance. The robotic system can pre-calculate and guide the instrument through multiple resection movements without requiring re-attachment, as all resection functions are built into the single instrument structure.
3Manufacturing precision
If conventional instruments are used for posterior resection, then gap height can be controlled, but adaptability to robot-assisted surgery is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The resection instrument is designed specifically for robotic integration, featuring a universal interface that can be mounted on the robotic arm and controlled through software. The instrument maintains gap height control capabilities through programmable depth limits and real-time feedback from the robotic system, while being fully adaptable to automated robotic guidance.
Solution Approach 2:
The instrument replaces manual mechanical alignment methods with robotic guidance systems. Instead of relying on physical jigs and manual positioning, the instrument is controlled by a robotic arm that uses pre-operative imaging and real-time tracking to achieve precise gap height control and alignment, demonstrating full adaptability to robot-assisted surgery.
4Manufacturing precision
If multiple instruments are used for different resections, then comprehensive bone resection can be achieved, but loss of time increases due to instrument switching
Solution Approach 1:
The single resection instrument integrates both distal and posterior resection capabilities, allowing the surgeon to perform both resections without switching instruments. The robotic system coordinates the sequence of resections automatically, maintaining precise control over gap height and alignment throughout the procedure, thereby eliminating time loss from instrument switching.
Solution Approach 2:
The instrument is designed to perform resections in a continuous sequence without interruption. The robotic arm can move the instrument between different resection positions and orientations smoothly, maintaining continuous useful action throughout the procedure. This eliminates the breaks and re-attachment time that would occur with multiple separate instruments.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of positioning posterior resection guides in a three-dimensional coordinate system using robotic arms to perform partial knee arthroplasties comprises connecting a first tracking device for a surgical tracking system of the robotic arm to a femur, connecting a second tracking device for the surgical tracking system of the robotic arm to a tibia, manually positioning the tibia relative to the femur to a desired orientation to perform a posterior resection, manually determining a position for the posterior resection guide to perform the posterior resection, digitizing a reference point for the posterior resection guide in the three-dimensional coordinate system for a location of a feature of the posterior resection guide, moving the posterior resection guide to the location in the three-dimensional coordinate system with the robotic arm, and resecting a posterior portion of a condyle of the femur using the posterior resection guide to guide a cutting instrument.