Tibial Cutting Guide Alignment with Laser System
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional total knee replacement surgery (TKA) is invasive and imprecise, leading to challenges in balancing ligament tension, which results in unstable knee joints, increased wear and tear on artificial knees, and the need for repeat procedures, especially in younger patients.
Innovation Solution
A method and device for accurately positioning tibial bone cuts during TKA using a cutting guide alignment system with adjustable laser lights to align the cutting guide precisely, ensuring optimal ligament tension through a range of motion, incorporating a handle with adjustable laser emitters and a locking mechanism for secure attachment to the tibia.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional TKA surgery is performed with traditional cutting methods, then the procedure can be completed with standard equipment, but the alignment and ligament tension balancing become imprecise leading to poor outcomes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical alignment methods with a laser-based optical system. The cutting guide assembly incorporates a laser emitter that projects alignment indicators to guide the tibial bone cut, substituting complex mechanical alignment mechanisms with optical guidance while maintaining surgical precision
Solution Approach 2:
The cutting guide assembly acts as an intermediary device between the surgeon and the tibia. It includes a cutting surface guide that interfaces with the tibial plateau and a locking mechanism that secures the guide to the tibia, providing a stable intermediate platform for precise bone cutting
2Object-affected harmful factors
If minimally invasive TKA techniques are used with smaller incisions, then patient trauma is reduced, but access to the lateral side of the distal femur is limited making ligament balancing more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent addresses the limited lateral access by introducing vertical dimensionality through the cutting guide assembly that can be positioned and locked at different heights on the tibia. The laser emitter provides alignment information from above, allowing the surgeon to perform ligament balancing functions through the limited minimally invasive incision by utilizing the vertical positioning capability
3Manufacturing precision
If traditional TKA cutting guides are used without adjustment capability, then the device structure is simpler, but the guides cannot be properly positioned on tibias of varying lengths leading to inaccurate cuts
Solution Approach 1:
The cutting guide assembly incorporates a dynamic locking mechanism that allows the guide to be positioned at different locations along the tibia and secured in place. The mechanism includes a locking element that can engage with the tibia at multiple positions, enabling the guide to adapt to tibias of varying lengths while maintaining cutting precision
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements adjustability by allowing the cutting guide assembly to be positioned at different vertical locations on the tibia. The locking mechanism enables discrete positioning at multiple predetermined locations, changing the positional parameter to accommodate different tibia lengths and anatomical variations
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enhances the precision and accuracy of tibial bone cuts, improving ligament balancing and reducing wear and tear on artificial knees, potentially reducing the need for repeat surgeries by facilitating more precise alignment and attachment of prosthetic components.
Implementation Method 1
adjusting the alignment device to align a cross-shaped laser light emitted from the alignment device approximately with a center of an ankle formed by the distal end of the tibia
Data Source
AI summary
A method for aligning a bone cutting guide on a tibia may involve coupling a cutting guide alignment device and an attached cutting guide with a tibia, adjusting the alignment device in a varus/valgus orientation, adjusting the alignment device in an anterior/posterior orientation, attaching the cutting guide to the tibia, and removing the alignment device from the cutting guide, leaving the cutting guide attached to the tibia. The adjustments to the alignment device may be made according to vertically and horizontally oriented laser lights emitted from the alignment device. As the alignment device is adjusted, the bone cutting guide attached to the alignment device changes position relative to the tibia.