Trial Implant Windows for Bone Surface Visibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current joint replacement surgery techniques face challenges in accurately aligning and securing talar implants, particularly in verifying soft tissue balancing and achieving precise placement of resected surfaces, due to cumbersome methods and limited visibility during the implantation process.
Innovation Solution
The development of a trial implant with windows for visible resected surfaces and a surgical guide structure with angled apertures for precise drilling, allowing for improved alignment and securement of implants, along with a method that includes using these tools to evaluate the range of motion and seating of the implant before final placement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a trial implant is placed to evaluate range of motion and implant seating, then the accuracy of implant placement is improved, but the surgical time and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The trial implant is placed before the final implant to pre-evaluate range of motion, soft tissue balancing, and implant seating. This preliminary action allows the surgeon to identify and correct any alignment or sizing issues before committing to the final implant placement, thereby improving overall placement accuracy while managing surgical time through systematic evaluation.
2Illumination intensity
If windows are added to the trial implant to expose resected surfaces, then visibility and alignment accuracy are improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The trial implant is divided into functional zones with strategically placed windows that segment the implant structure. These windows are positioned to expose specific resected surfaces (medial, lateral, anterior, posterior) as needed for alignment verification, providing targeted visibility without requiring the entire implant structure to be transparent or overly complex.
3Measurement precision
If a template with full body structure is used to determine implant size, then implant sizing accuracy is improved, but the ability to visualize centerline and resected surfaces is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The template is segmented with strategic openings and transparent regions that allow visualization of the centerline and resected surfaces while maintaining the full body structure for accurate implant size determination. This segmentation enables simultaneous use of the template for both sizing and alignment verification without compromising visibility.
4Strength
If angled apertures are created in the talus for implant securement, then implant stability is improved, but the difficulty of precise drilling increases
Solution Approach 1:
A guide structure serves as an intermediary tool that incorporates angled apertures at the required drilling angles. This guide structure simplifies the drilling operation by providing pre-configured angular pathways, allowing the surgeon to drill precise angled holes for implant securement without requiring complex freehand drilling techniques or multiple adjustment steps.
Data Source
AI summary
A trial implant is provided. The implant includes a central portion. The central portion includes a top articulating surface extending between a first end and a second end and having a convex shape, a bottom surface configured to at least partially contact a first resected surface of a bone, and a first side surface extending between the top articulating surface and the bottom surface. The first side surface is sloped such that a width of the top articulating surface is greater than a width of the bottom surface. The implant further includes a first outer portion extending laterally from the central portion. The first side surface and the first outer portion are separated by a first opening shaped such that up to four resected surfaces of the bone are visible when the trial implant is seated on the bone.