Retrograde Guide Pin Instrument for Hip Resurfacing
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Solution Overview
Problem
In surface replacement arthroplasty, accurate placement of guide pins in the femoral head and neck is complicated and unreliable, often requiring large exposures that increase bleeding, pain, and infection risk, especially for inexperienced surgeons.
Innovation Solution
A retrograde approach using a guide pin placement instrument with adjustable mechanisms for precise positioning of guide pins, allowing for minimal incision and image-guided placement, reducing exposure and soft tissue trauma.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If an antegrade approach is used to center the guide pin in the femoral head and neck, then the guide pin placement can be performed with direct visualization, but the procedure becomes complicated and unreliable, requiring large exposure that increases bleeding, pain, and infection risk
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies retrograde pin insertion through the greater trochanter instead of the conventional antegrade approach. The guide pin is inserted from the distal femur upward into the femoral head and neck, reversing the traditional direction. This inversion allows for accurate placement through image guidance while requiring only a small incision, thereby reducing bleeding, pain, and infection risk associated with large exposures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces direct mechanical visualization with image-guided navigation. Fluoroscopic or CT-based image guidance systems are used to visualize the guide pin trajectory and confirm accurate placement in the femoral head and neck without requiring large surgical exposure. This substitution of mechanical visualization with imaging technology enables precise pin placement through minimal incisions.
2Ease of operation
If a large exposure is made to perform guide pin placement, then direct visualization and control are improved, but bleeding, pain, and infection risk increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces direct mechanical visualization through large exposure with image-guided navigation systems. Fluoroscopic or CT-based imaging provides real-time visualization of the guide pin trajectory and femoral head/neck anatomy, enabling accurate placement through a small incision. This eliminates the need for large surgical exposure while maintaining operational control through imaging feedback.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces image guidance technology as an intermediary between the surgeon and the surgical field. Rather than directly visualizing anatomical structures through large exposure, the surgeon uses imaging systems to mediate the placement process. This intermediary enables accurate guide pin placement through minimal incision by providing indirect but precise visualization of internal anatomy.
3Measurement precision
If image guidance is used for retrograde guide pin placement, then placement accuracy is improved with minimal incision, but the procedure requires additional imaging equipment and time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes fluoroscopic or CT imaging systems that are already standard equipment in most orthopedic operating rooms for other hip procedures. By leveraging this existing multi-functional imaging infrastructure, the procedure achieves accurate retrograde guide pin placement without requiring specialized or additional equipment. The same imaging systems used for intraoperative visualization in total hip arthroplasty are applied to guide the retrograde pin insertion.
Data Source
AI summary
An instrument for guide pin placement in a femoral head and neck of a patient, the instrument having a reference pin guide member and a retrograde pin guide member adjustably attached to the reference pin guide member. The reference pin guide member has a bore configured for use in positioning and guiding an external reference pin. The retrograde pin guide member has a plurality of retrograde pin bores for use in positioning and guiding a retrograde reference pin into the femoral neck and head of the patient using a retrograde approach. If an initial retrograde reference pin is not positioned properly, one of the plurality of retrograde pin bores is used to insert another retrograde reference pin in a more desirable position using a retrograde approach.