Skin-Based Pinless Navigation for Precise Implant Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing arthroplasty procedures face challenges with inaccurate implant positioning and bone cutting due to human error in manual instrumentation and the complexity of computer-based navigation systems, which often require pins to be drilled into bones.
Innovation Solution
A pinless navigation system using wireless or wired skin-based sensors placed on a patient's body to provide accurate angle and distance measurements, eliminating the need for invasive pins and allowing precise implant placement and bone cuts during surgeries.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If manual instrumentation is used for measuring acetabulum socket, then the procedure is simple to perform, but the measurement accuracy is poor due to human errors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a digital copy of the patient's anatomy by placing skin markers on bony prominences and using sensors to capture their positions. This digital model replicates the anatomical structures without requiring physical invasion, enabling accurate measurements through computational geometry rather than manual instrumentation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical measurement tools with an optical/electronic sensing system. Sensors detect the positions of skin markers and compute anatomical measurements through software algorithms, substituting human visual estimation and manual protractor measurements with automated digital calculation.
2Measurement precision
If computer-based navigation system is used for implant positioning, then the positioning accuracy is improved, but the device complexity and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential measurement function from complex navigation systems. By using simple skin markers and basic sensors to capture key anatomical points, the system obtains sufficient data for accurate implant positioning without requiring the full complexity of traditional computer-based navigation systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the measurement parameters from complex 3D spatial mapping to simplified 2D skin surface marker positions. By measuring positions on the skin surface rather than deep anatomical structures, the system achieves comparable accuracy with reduced computational complexity and simpler hardware.
3Measurement precision
If pins are drilled into bone for navigation, then the measurement accuracy is improved, but the invasiveness and surgical difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces skin markers as intermediary objects that bridge the measurement need and the anatomical structures. These markers placed on the skin surface serve as proxies for underlying bone landmarks, allowing indirect measurement without direct bone contact or penetration.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a surface copy of the underlying bone anatomy through skin markers positioned on corresponding bony prominences. This digital surface model replicates the three-dimensional relationships of deep anatomical structures without requiring physical access to or manipulation of the bone itself.
4Measurement precision
If large computer-based navigation systems are used, then the measurement precision is improved, but the ease of operation decreases due to requiring extensive surgeon training
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service through automated computational geometry. The system automatically calculates anatomical measurements and implant positioning angles from the captured marker positions using programmed algorithms, eliminating the need for surgeons to manually compute complex spatial relationships or interpret sophisticated navigation displays.
Data Source
AI summary
In some embodiments, the systems and corresponding methods for accurate and precise placement of joint replacement implants or to assess bony drilling, reaming or cuts are disclosed. A method for assisting in precise and accurate placements of joint replacement implants during a surgery comprises: receiving, by a pinless navigation system, electronic signals carrying data collected by sensors; wherein the sensors are pinless, are placed on a patient's skin, and generate the data by probing a plurality of locations within a patient's body; based on the data included in the electronic signals received from the sensors, calculating, by the pinless navigation system, angular and distance values, which are between the plurality of locations within the body, for performing a surgery on the patient.