Joint Implant Trial Components with Radial Slits
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing trial components for joint implants and prosthesis, such as shoulder implants, face issues with secure positioning during trial fitting and poor reproducibility of joint geometry, leading to inaccurate representations and potential false messages for surgeons during critical operative steps.
Innovation Solution
Design of trial components with radially oriented slits for easy insertion and removal, featuring a recessed spherical cavity and optional spacers with circumferential grooves and slits, allowing for precise adjustment and secure locking within the joint adapter, along with a stem module and joint adapter system for customizable fitting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If trial components are designed to be easily inserted and removed, then ease of operation is improved, but secure positioning during trial fitting deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The trial component is divided into two functional parts: a liner that interfaces with the joint adapter and a retention mechanism (spring fingers) that secures the liner to the stem. This segmentation allows the liner to be easily inserted into the adapter while the spring fingers provide secure retention during the trial procedure.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring fingers act as an intermediary element between the liner and the stem, providing a reliable retention mechanism. These fingers engage with the stem to hold the liner in place during trial fitting, while still allowing for easy removal when needed.
2Ease of manufacture
If trial components lack spring fingers for fixing, then ease of manufacture is improved, but secure positioning during trial deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The spring fingers are designed to be self-retaining, utilizing the elastic properties of the material to automatically engage with the stem and hold the liner in place. This self-service mechanism provides secure positioning without requiring complex external fixation systems, maintaining ease of manufacture while ensuring reliability.
3Manufacturing precision
If trial components are designed with fixed geometry, then manufacturing precision is improved, but adaptability to patient needs deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The trial component system allows for dynamic adjustment of the liner within the joint adapter. The liner can be rotated and positioned at different angles, and the spring fingers can be manipulated to release and re-engage, enabling the surgeon to adjust the geometry to match specific patient needs while maintaining manufacturing precision of the individual components.
Data Source
AI summary
A humeral component of a prosthesis comprises a stem module for fixing the prosthesis into a bone. A joint adapter can be attached, preferably under different angles to the stem module. The joint adapter holds a liner having a recessed spherical cavity, which is the cup of the joint. The joint adapter has an inner surface and a circumferential groove. The liner has an outer surface including a circular recess. This circular recess preferably is concentric to the major body diameter of the liner for interfacing with the circumferential groove of the joint adapter. Furthermore, the liner has a radial slit, which allows compression of the liner for easy insertion and removal. This allows inserting different liners with different sizes thus allowing to try out different sizes to find the best size for the patient. When the best size has been identified, a final liner without a slit may be inserted.