Patient-Specific Surgical Jig for Bone Recess Verification

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current surgical methods lack accurate tools for recognizing the precise location and verifying the required shape of recesses on the temporal bone for implanting bone-anchored hearing aids, especially in patients with congenital malformations or surgical history, making the procedure difficult even for skilled surgeons.

Innovation Solution

A surgical jig with a cylindrical ridge and a verification jig with matching protrusions are designed to accurately indicate and verify the formation of recesses on the temporal bone, utilizing three-dimensional image data from tomographic information to shape the jigs precisely to the patient's bone surface, ensuring accurate placement and shape conformity.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If conventional surgical methods are used without specialized jigs, then the surgical procedure can be performed with basic tools, but the accuracy in recognizing the precise location and verifying the required shape of recesses on the temporal bone is insufficient

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveaccuracy in recognizing recess location and shapeVSAvoidcomplexity of surgical tools
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The surgical jig and verification jig are created as physical copies or replicas of the patient's temporal bone surface based on three-dimensional image data from tomographic information. These jigs replicate the complex anatomy including congenital malformations and surgical history features, allowing surgeons to accurately transfer pre-planned recess locations and shapes to the actual surgical site without requiring complex real-time measurement devices during surgery.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

Solution Approach 2:

The surgical and verification jigs are prepared in advance before surgery by creating three-dimensional models from tomographic data and fabricating custom jigs that incorporate pre-calculated recess positions and dimensions. This preliminary preparation allows the surgeon to simply place and use the pre-configured jigs during surgery, eliminating the need for complex intraoperative measurements and calculations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Manufacturing precision

If custom surgical jigs are designed for each patient based on three-dimensional image data, then surgical precision is improved, but the complexity of producing these jigs increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprecision of recess formationVSAvoidease of producing surgical jigs
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The manufacturing process utilizes three-dimensional image data from standard tomographic scans to extract precise anatomical parameters of the patient's temporal bone. By converting medical imaging data into manufacturing parameters for the surgical jigs, the system automatically adapts to each patient's unique anatomy including congenital malformations and surgical history, achieving high precision without requiring manual measurement and fabrication for each case.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Reliability

If the recess is formed without accurate verification, then the surgical procedure is faster, but the reliability of proper transducer implantation is compromised

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvereliability of transducer implantationVSAvoidtime for verification
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The verification jig serves as an intermediary tool that checks whether the formed recess matches the pre-planned specifications. The jig's protrusion physically verifies the recess shape and dimensions, providing immediate feedback to the surgeon about whether the recess is suitable for transducer implantation, thereby ensuring reliability without requiring complex measurement equipment or extensive verification procedures.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentEP3005960B1Surgical instrument and verification instrument, and method for producing these instruments
Publication Date: 2020.03.11 ONO & CO LTD
  • EP3005960B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3005960B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3005960B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4

AI summary

There are provided a surgical jig (24) which is directly used during surgery to make it possible to accurately recognize a position where a recess (44, 46) is to be formed in the surface of a surgical target bone (14) of a patient; and a verification jig (34) which is directly used during surgery to make it possible to precisely verify whether or not the recess (44, 46) formed in the surface of the surgical targeted bone (14) of the patient is of a required shape. The surgical jig (24) has an inner surface (26) matching the surface shape of the surgical target bone (14) of the patient, and a penetrating opening (30, 32) formed in correspondence with a site where the recess (44, 46) is to be formed. The verification jig (34) hasaprotrusion (40, 42) protruding froman inner surface (36) thereof in correspondence with the recess (44, 46) to be formed.