Patient-Specific Resection Guide Locator With Press-Fit Bone Mounting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for total joint replacement surgeries, such as knee, hip, and ankle procedures, lack effective solutions for generating patient-specific prostheses, surgical instruments, guides, and fixtures that accurately position resection guides relative to the patient's body, leading to potential misalignment and complications.
Innovation Solution
A resection guide locator system that uses computer-aided design and medical imaging technologies to create anatomically accurate models of bones, allowing for the production of custom surgical instruments and guides with complementary surface topographies that securely lock onto the patient's bones, eliminating the need for external fixtures and ensuring precise positioning during surgery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional cutting guides with intramedullary stems and brackets are used to position resection guides, then the guides can be aligned with the femoral shaft axis, but the device complexity increases and manual alignment is required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the intramedullary stem and bracket components from the cutting guide system. Instead of using a complex intramedullary alignment system, the invention uses a simplified extramedullary guide that achieves accurate alignment through external positioning mechanisms, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining alignment precision
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a new intermediary positioning mechanism that acts as a mediator between the surgeon's alignment intent and the actual guide positioning. This intermediary system uses external reference points and positioning features rather than requiring intramedullary insertion, simplifying the overall device structure while preserving measurement accuracy
2Manufacturing precision
If computer-aided design and imaging technology are used to create patient-specific guides, then manufacturing precision and positioning accuracy improve, but the ease of manufacture decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by performing all customization, imaging, and design work during the preoperative planning phase. Patient-specific anatomical data is captured and processed before surgery, allowing the actual surgical guide to be manufactured with precise specifications already determined. This shifts the complexity to the planning stage rather than the surgical stage, improving intraoperative efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes parameter changes by transforming patient-specific anatomical parameters into manufacturing parameters through computer-aided design. The system converts imaging data into precise geometric parameters that define the custom guide geometry, enabling high-precision manufacturing through digital modeling and additive fabrication processes
3Measurement precision
If patient-specific custom guides are manufactured using imaging and CAD technology, then the alignment and positioning accuracy improve, but the loss of time in manufacturing increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs all time-consuming customization activities in advance during preoperative planning. Imaging, 3D modeling, and guide design are completed before the surgical procedure, so that during surgery only the actual fabrication and application of the pre-designed guide is required. This preliminary action eliminates time loss during the surgical procedure itself
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by focusing computational and manufacturing resources only on the specific regions and parameters that require high precision for that particular patient's anatomy. Rather than universally over-engineering all aspects of the guide, the system optimizes manufacturing complexity and time investment to match the actual precision requirements of each patient-specific case
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system enables precise and accurate positioning of resection guides without external fixtures, reducing surgical complexity and improving the alignment of prostheses, thereby enhancing surgical outcomes and patient comfort by minimizing the risk of post-operative complications.
Implementation Method 1
A resilient peripheral wall of the socket defines the extent of the socket and is sized and shaped for storing energy when a resection guide is press-fit into the socket
Data Source
AI summary
A resection guide locator includes a bone engagement portion with surfaces that are complementary to the surface topographies of a bone to be resected during surgery. A housing includes a socket defined by a resilient annular wall that is sized and arranged so to accept a resection guide by press-fit to thereby position and hold the resection guide within he socket. The resection guide is maintained in a predetermined, preferred position while the surfaces are releasably locked in position on the bone. A method is disclosed for forming and using the resection guide locator.