Tibia Aiming Jig Guide Arm for Support Screw Placement

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Solution Overview

Problem

Surgeons face challenges in accurately placing support screws near lateral rafting screws during tibia fracture fixation due to lack of guidance, leading to high radiation exposure and potential damage to existing screws or drill bits.

Innovation Solution

A tibia aiming jig with a guide arm and screw guide holes that aligns support screws in an anterior to posterior direction, avoiding interference with plate screws and providing precise placement above the lateral rafting screws.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If support screws are placed manually without guidance, then surgical flexibility is maintained, but radiation exposure increases and risk of damaging existing screws or drill bits increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvescrew placement precisionVSAvoidguidance device complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces an aiming jig as an intermediary device between the surgeon and the tibia bone. The jig includes a guide arm with guide holes that direct drill bits and screws, serving as a mediator that provides precise placement guidance while reducing radiation exposure. The guide arm extends into the anterior compartment and positions guide holes to align with specific anatomical landmarks, enabling accurate screw placement without complex imaging.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The aiming jig is attached to the lateral plate before screw insertion, establishing a predetermined guidance framework in advance. The guide arm and guide holes are pre-positioned to match the desired screw trajectories, allowing surgeons to follow pre-planned paths rather than relying on real-time imaging during the actual screw insertion process.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Strength

If support screws are placed close to rafting screws for stability, then fracture stability is improved, but risk of interfering with plate screws increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefracture stabilityVSAvoiddamage to existing screws

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The guide arm provides localized guidance specifically for support screw placement in the anterior compartment. The guide holes are positioned to direct screws along trajectories that are close to the rafting screws for stability but maintain safe clearance to avoid damaging plate screws. This localized guidance ensures that only the specific area requiring precision (anterior support screw placement) receives the guidance function.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The guide arm replicates the spatial relationships and anatomical landmarks on the anterior surface of the tibia. By copying the posterior anatomical references (such as the posterior cruciate ligament insertion and lateral condyle) onto the anterior surface through the guide arm positioning, the system enables accurate screw placement that mirrors the safe trajectories used in the posterior compartment.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

3Productivity

If manual screw placement is used, then surgical simplicity is maintained, but radiation exposure and drilling errors increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesurgical efficiencyVSAvoidscrew placement accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The aiming jig serves as a mechanical intermediary that translates anatomical landmarks into precise drill bit trajectories. The guide arm with its guide holes provides a reliable reference system that eliminates the need for repeated fluoroscopic imaging, thereby improving both surgical efficiency and placement accuracy simultaneously.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces the reliance on imaging-based mechanical guidance (fluoroscopy) with a direct mechanical guidance system. The guide arm and guide holes provide physical constraints that direct drill bits along predetermined safe paths, substituting the need for continuous radiographic monitoring with a purely mechanical guidance approach.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Data Source

PatentUS20250017637A1Tibia aiming jig

Publication Date: 2025.01.16 DEPUY SYNTHES PROD INC

AI summary

An aiming jig for a tibia plate, including: a head the interfaces with a head of the tibia plate comprising: screw guide holes corresponding to screw holes in the head of the tibia plate; a fixation protrusion that engages a fixation opening in the head of the tibia plate, wherein an engagement of the fixation protrusion with the fixation opening aligns the head with the head of the tibia plate; and an arm extending from the head including a guide wherein the guide is configured to extend along an anterior portion of a tibia when the aiming jig is fixed to the tibia plate, and the guide includes a support screw guide hole that guides a placement of a support screw into the tibia in a generally anterior to posterior direction so that the support screw avoids interfering with plate screws placed in the head of the tibia plate.