Physical Surgical Model With Embedded Plan Features
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current surgical planning systems lack effective preoperative feedback mechanisms to establish surgeon confidence in joint arthroplasty procedures, as intraoperative corrections often necessitate immediate decisions under anesthesia, indicating suboptimal preoperative or execution planning, and virtual simulations fail to provide tangible, real-time feedback.
Innovation Solution
A physical surgical planning aide featuring a model with a geometrical feature distinct from the rest, based on the surgical plan, which can be altered by surgical instruments to provide visual feedback on the accuracy of the plan and instrument performance, allowing for immediate, tangible feedback before surgery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If virtual simulations are used for preoperative planning, then the surgeon can review the surgical plan in advance, but the surgeon cannot receive tangible, real-time feedback about the accuracy of the plan
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a physical copy of the patient's anatomy (the physical model) that replicates the bone structure and includes embedded geometrical features representing the surgical plan. This physical copy allows the surgeon to receive tangible feedback by physically interacting with the model and observing the exposed geometrical features after material removal, thereby resolving the contradiction between virtual simulation limitations and the need for tangible feedback.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses visually distinct geometrical features with different colors or material properties embedded within the physical model to indicate different aspects of the surgical plan (e.g., target zones, safety margins, implant locations). When material is removed according to the surgical plan, the exposure of these colored features provides immediate visual feedback about the accuracy of the plan execution, addressing the need for tangible feedback that virtual simulations cannot provide.
2Reliability
If intraoperative feedback systems are used, then the surgeon receives real-time feedback during surgery, but the system requires extensive surgical setup and cannot be used before surgery to establish confidence
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs all necessary feedback mechanisms in advance by embedding geometrical features into the physical model before surgery. The physical model is prepared with all the information needed for feedback (geometrical features representing surgical plan parameters) so that the surgeon can review and gain confidence in the plan before entering the operating room, eliminating the need for complex intraoperative feedback systems during the actual surgery.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the feedback function from the complex intraoperative surgical setup and relocates it to a simplified preoperative physical model. By removing the feedback mechanism from the surgical environment and placing it in the physical model, the system eliminates the need for extensive surgical setup (navigation systems, robotic manipulators, surgical drapes, etc.) while still providing reliable feedback about surgical plan accuracy.
3Adaptability or versatility
If intraoperative corrections are made, then the surgeon can adjust the surgical plan based on real-time findings, but immediate decisions must be made under anesthesia indicating suboptimal preoperative planning
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the physical model includes embedded geometrical features that expose information about the surgical plan's accuracy when material is removed. This feedback allows the surgeon to review the plan's precision before surgery and make necessary adjustments in advance, reducing the need for intraoperative corrections and ensuring higher preoperative plan accuracy while maintaining adaptability for necessary adjustments.
Data Source
AI summary
A physical model configured to be physically altered by a surgical instrument for providing feedback related to a surgical plan specific to an anatomy of a patient. The physical model has a body including a physical volume representative of the anatomy of the patient and a geometrical feature embedded within the physical volume wherein the geometrical feature is visually distinct from a remainder of the physical volume and wherein the geometrical feature has parameters that are based on the surgical plan. The physical volume is configured to be at least partially removed by the surgical instrument such that the geometrical feature is configured to be exposed for providing visual feedback about an accuracy of the surgical plan and/or an accuracy of the surgical instrument in carrying out the surgical plan.