Reconfigurable Wedge Cutting Guide for Orthopedic Deformity Correction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current orthopedic surgical devices for reducing joint deformities are cumbersome, prone to errors due to indirect joint manipulation, expensive, and require complex assembly, often leading to over- or under-correction, and may cause additional tissue damage or complications.
Innovation Solution
A reconfigurable orthopedic surgical system comprising a serrated wedge and a cutting guide that can be assembled on the surgical field to form a joint-repositioning tool and a saw-guide tool, allowing for precise angular correction and bone cuts, with the wedge's serrations preventing backout and the system being fixation-agnostic and capable of accommodating infinite degrees of deformity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If pre-angled bone cutting blocks with fixed specifications are used, then the device structure is simplified, but the adaptability to accommodate infinite degrees of deformity is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The cutting guide is designed with rotatable components that allow dynamic adjustment of the cutting angle during surgery. The guide can be rotated to different angles and locked in place, enabling accommodation of any degree of deformity rather than being limited to fixed pre-set angles. This dynamic adjustability resolves the contradiction by providing both structural simplicity and full adaptability.
2Measurement precision
If multiple linked attachments are used to achieve precise joint manipulation, then the measurement precision is improved, but the device complexity and ease of operation deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the complex multiple linked attachments from the device design. Instead, it uses a simplified single-block cutting guide with integrated angle measurement and indication features. The block itself contains the measurement capability through its geometric design and includes direct angle indicators, removing the need for separate measurement devices and multiple connecting components while maintaining measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The cutting guide block merges multiple functions into a single component: it serves as both the cutting guide and the angle measurement device. The block's geometry inherently provides angle measurement capabilities, and it includes integrated indicators that show the cutting angle directly. This consolidation eliminates the need for multiple separate attachments while maintaining precision.
3Ease of operation
If indirect joint manipulation through extra-articular jigs is used, then the ease of operation is improved, but the measurement precision and reliability of deformity reduction deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The cutting guide block acts as an intermediary that directly contacts and references the joint axis. It includes features that align with and measure the actual joint deformity angle, serving as a mediator between the surgeon's cutting tool and the joint anatomy. This direct intermediary approach provides both ease of operation and precise measurement by being positioned at the actual site of deformity rather than indirectly.
4Manufacturing precision
If complex mechanical devices with multiple components are used, then the manufacturing precision can be improved, but the device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cutting guide is segmented into a simple modular design consisting of a main block with integrated features rather than multiple separate精密 components. The block contains built-in angle indicators, reference surfaces, and cutting guidance features all in one piece. This segmentation approach achieves manufacturing precision through the simple block geometry while avoiding the complexity and cost of assembling multiple精密 parts.
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 reduction of joint deformities with minimal components, reducing the risk of over- or under-correction, minimizing tissue damage, and allowing for flexible fixation methods, while being cost-effective and easy to assemble, thus improving surgical efficiency and patient outcomes.
Implementation Method 1
a serrated wedge and a cutting guide that can be assembled on the surgical field to form a joint-repositioning tool and a saw-guide tool
Data Source
AI summary
A handle and a cutting guide each removably mount to a wedge so that they are reconfigurable between a first/positioning configuration and a second/cutting configuration. In the first configuration, the handle is mounted to the wedge to form a joint-repositioning orthopedic surgery tool for use in correcting orthopedic deformities. And in the second configuration, the cutting guide is mounted to the wedge to form a saw-guide orthopedic surgery tool for use in correcting orthopedic deformities. Methods of correcting orthopedic deformities include positioning the wedge of the joint-repositioning tool between two bones of a joint to reposition at least one of the bones, and using the cutting guide of the saw-guide tool to saw off at least one bone end portion, to form bone end edges that are substantially parallel so the bones are now substantially aligned.