Total Ankle Replacement Trial Guides for Precise Component Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing total ankle replacement (TAR) procedures face challenges in achieving proper sizing and positioning of tibial and talus components, leading to instability and limited range of motion in the replacement ankle joint.
Innovation Solution
A total ankle replacement trial and bone preparation guide system comprising a tibial trial component and a talar trial component, which facilitate accurate sizing and positioning of tibial and talus prostheses by providing engagement surfaces, apertures, and cutting guides to prepare the resected tibia and talus for proper implantation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional TAR procedures are used without specialized trial and guide systems, then the surgical procedure is simpler and faster to perform, but the sizing and positioning precision of tibial and talus components deteriorates, leading to instability and limited range of motion
Solution Approach 1:
The trial and guide system is divided into separate modular components: a trial prosthesis component that replicates the final implant geometry, a trial insert component, and a guide system with multiple guide members. Each component can be independently selected and positioned to achieve precise sizing and alignment without requiring a single complex integrated device.
Solution Approach 2:
The trial prosthesis component serves as an intermediary between the surgeon's planning and the final implantation. It allows pre-positioning and verification of component size, orientation, and alignment before the actual surgical implantation, thereby improving measurement precision without permanently increasing the complexity of the final implant system.
2Reliability
If trial and guide systems are used to achieve proper component sizing and positioning, then the stability and range of motion of the replacement ankle joint are improved, but the device complexity and number of components increase
Solution Approach 1:
The trial prosthesis and guide system enable preliminary positioning and verification of component alignment before final implantation. The trial components are inserted and adjusted to achieve the desired mechanical axis alignment and component orientation, ensuring stability and optimal range of motion are achieved in the final construct.
Solution Approach 2:
The trial prosthesis component is designed to replicate the exact geometry, size, and orientation of the final tibial and talus prosthesis components. This copying approach allows precise pre-positioning and verification of the implant configuration, ensuring that the final implantation achieves the intended stability and range of motion without requiring complex adjustment mechanisms.
3Manufacturing precision
If manual sizing and positioning methods are used for TAR components, then the surgical procedure is more straightforward, but the alignment precision with respect to the mechanical axis deteriorates, leading to improper force distribution
Solution Approach 1:
The guide system is segmented into multiple guide members with specific geometric features that interface with anatomical landmarks. Each guide member can be independently positioned to establish the mechanical axis and guide component placement, providing precise alignment control through simple sequential positioning rather than complex integrated mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The trial and guide system is designed to be self-aligning through its geometric features. The guide members incorporate surfaces and apertures that naturally guide the positioning of trial components relative to the mechanical axis, allowing the system to self-correct minor positioning errors without requiring complex adjustment mechanisms or extensive surgical skill.
Data Source
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AI summary
Instruments, guides, systems and related methods for total ankle prostheses are disclosed. The instruments, guides, systems and related methods facilitate preparation of a tibia and/or talus of a patient for implantation of a total ankle prosthesis therein. The instruments, guides, systems and related methods also facilitate selection of a particular size of a tibial component, a talus component and/or a tibial insert of the total ankle prosthesis that suits the patient. The instruments, guides, systems and related methods include a tibial trial component, a talar trial component and tibial insert trial component that replicate one or more aspects of the tibial component, the talus component and the tibial insert, respectively, of the total ankle prosthesis. The talar trial component includes an articulation surface that articulates with the tibial insert trial component, and slots that facilitate chamfered resection of the patient's talus for the implantation of the talus component thereon.