Patient-Specific Sacroiliac Alignment Guide for Screw Placement

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Current spinal fixation systems face challenges in accurately placing bone screws due to the complex three-dimensional geometry of the sacroiliac anatomy, particularly in cases with cortical deficiencies, leading to potential bone breaches and neurovascular injuries during unguided implantation.

Innovation Solution

Patient-specific alignment guides are designed preoperatively using three-dimensional digital images of the patient's pelvis and spine, featuring patient-specific surfaces and guiding elements that accurately direct bone screws for sacroiliac fixation, allowing for modular and intraoperative reconfiguration to accommodate various fixation procedures.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If unguided implantation is used, then the surgical procedure is simpler and faster, but the accuracy of bone screw placement deteriorates leading to potential bone breaches and neurovascular injuries

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaccuracy of bone screw placementVSAvoidcomplexity of implantation procedure

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Patient-specific alignment guides are designed and constructed preoperatively based on three-dimensional digital images of the patient's pelvis and spine. The guides are custom-fitted to the patient's unique anatomy and have preconfigured orientations and locations for bone screw placement, eliminating the need for complex intraoperative navigation while ensuring high precision.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patient-specific alignment guide acts as an intermediary device between the surgeon and the patient's anatomy. It provides a physical interface that nestingly mates with the patient's iliac crest and guides the placement of bone screws through preconfigured openings, ensuring accurate positioning without requiring complex intraoperative imaging or navigation systems.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Manufacturing precision

If patient-specific alignment guides are used, then the accuracy of bone screw placement is improved, but the device complexity and preoperative preparation time increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaccuracy of bone screw placementVSAvoidpreoperative preparation time

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

All planning and design work is completed preoperatively using three-dimensional digital images. The alignment guides are custom-designed with preconfigured orientations and locations based on the patient's specific anatomy, allowing for rapid intraoperative implementation without time-consuming adjustments during surgery.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The alignment guide is created as a physical copy or replica of the patient's unique anatomy based on digital imaging data. This physical model captures the precise geometric relationships of the patient's pelvis and spine, allowing the surgeon to work with a pre-fitted guide that requires no intraoperative customization.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

3Adaptability or versatility

If fixed alignment guides are used, then the manufacturing process is simpler, but the adaptability to different fixation procedures is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveadaptability to different fixation proceduresVSAvoidcomplexity of guide design

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The alignment guide is divided into modular components including a patient-specific portion and interchangeable guiding elements. The guiding elements can be detached and replaced to accommodate different fixation procedures such as unilateral fixation, bilateral fixation, sacral fixation, and sacroiliac fixation, allowing the same base guide to serve multiple surgical scenarios.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The alignment guide transitions from a static fixed design to a dynamic reconfigurable system. The modular guiding elements can be intraoperatively exchanged based on the surgical plan, allowing the guide to adapt to different fixation procedures while maintaining the same patient-specific anatomical fit.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentUS9603613B2Patient-specific sacroiliac guides and associated methods

Publication Date: 2017.03.28 BIOMET MFG LLC

AI summary

A patient-specific alignment guide includes a patient-specific portion and a guiding element having a through opening. The patient-specific portion has a patient-specific surface preoperatively configured to mate as a negative of a portion of an iliac crest of a pelvis of a specific patient and mate to the iliac crest only in one position. The guiding element has a preoperatively configured orientation and location relative to the patient-specific portion for preparing a bore in the bone of the patient to direct a bone screw at the preoperatively configured orientation and location for sacroiliac fixation.