IMAGELESS ROBOTIZED DEVICE AND METHOD FOR SURGICAL TOOL GUIDANCE

• US 20070156157A1
• Filed: 12/14/2006
• Published: 07/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Zimmer GmbH (Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Zimmer GmbH (Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Blondel, Lucien, Tassel, Eric, Nahum, Bertin, Maillet, Pierre
• Application Number:
  US11/610,728
• Publication Number:
  US 20070156157A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/130
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/154 for preparing bone for knee prosthesis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/6408 Devices not permitting mobility, e.g. fixed to bed, with or without means for traction or reduction without surgery A61F5/04
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00022 Sensing or detecting at the treatment site
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/108 Computer aided selection or customisation of medical implants or cutting guides
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2068 using pointers, e.g. pointers having reference marks for determining coordinates of body points
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/252 indicating steps of a surgical procedure
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/254 being adapted depending on the stage of the surgical procedure
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/065 for measuring contact or contact pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/08021 of the patient or his organs
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/363 Use of fiducial points
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/20 Surgical navigation systems; Devices for tracking or guiding surgical instruments, e.g. for frameless stereotaxis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/25 User interfaces for surgical systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/30 Surgical robots
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/70 Manipulators specially adapted for use in surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/76 Manipulators having means for providing feel, e.g. force or tactile feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/14 Fixators for body parts, e.g. skull clamps; Constructional details of fixators, e.g. pins

Abstract

An imageless robotized device for guiding surgical tools to improve the performance of surgical tasks is provided. The method of using the robotized device may include the steps of: collecting anatomical landmarks with a robot arm; combining landmarks data with geometric planning parameters to generate a position data; and automatically positioning a guiding tool mounted to the robot arm. Particular embodiments for a limb fixation device are also described.

Claims

1. An imageless device for guiding a surgical instrument relative to an anatomical structure, the device comprising:

an arm;

a pointing tool releasably attachable to said arm, said pointing tool configured to provide data about the anatomical structure; and

a control unit in communication with said arm, said control unit configured to receive information from said pointing tool and calculate a desired position for said arm.

2. The device of claim 1, further comprising a surgical instrument, said surgical instrument releasably attachable to said arm.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein said surgical instrument comprises a guide instrument.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein said guide instrument is integrally formed with said pointing tool.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein said arm provides at least six degrees of freedom.

6. The device of claim 1, further comprising a force sensor, said force sensor connected to said arm proximate said pointing tool, said force sensor in communication with said control unit.

7. The device of claim 1, further comprising a user interface in communication with said control unit.

8. The device of claim 1, further comprising an anatomical structure fixation device, said fixation device configured to immobilize the anatomical structure at two distinct locations.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the anatomical structure is a leg, said fixation device configured to immobilize the leg proximate an ankle of the leg and proximate a knee joint of the leg.

10. An imageless device for guiding a surgical instrument relative to an anatomical structure, the device comprising:

acquisition means for acquiring coordinates of a plurality of landmarks on the anatomical structure;

processing means for processing the coordinates of the landmarks and generating a desired position for the surgical instrument relative to the anatomical structure based on the coordinates of the landmarks; and

positioning means for positioning the surgical instrument in said desired position.

11. The device of claim 10, further comprising force sensing means for sensing a force exerted on the surgical instrument.

12. The device of claim 10, further comprising input means for inputting a plurality of surgical parameters.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein said processing means comprises means for processing the coordinates of the landmarks and the plurality of surgical parameters and generating a desired position for the surgical instrument relative to the anatomical structure based on the coordinates of the landmarks and on the plurality of surgical parameters.

14. A method for positioning a surgical instrument relative to an anatomical structure, the method comprising the steps of:

acquiring coordinates of a plurality of landmarks on the anatomical structure;

calculating a desired position of the surgical instrument relative to the anatomical structure based on the acquired coordinates of the anatomical structure landmarks; and

positioning the surgical instrument at the desired position relative to the anatomical structure based on said calculation step.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of inputting surgical parameters into a controller associated with the surgical instrument, said calculating step further comprising calculating the desired position of the surgical instrument relative to the anatomical structure based on the acquired coordinates of the anatomical structure landmarks and on the surgical parameters.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein said acquiring step comprises manually moving an arm connected to the surgical instrument to contact the plurality of landmarks on the anatomical structure with the surgical instrument.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said acquiring step further comprises the step of confirming contact between the surgical instrument and each of the plurality of landmarks.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein said manually moving step comprises sensing a force exerted on the arm and controlling movement of the arm based at least in part on said sensed force.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein said acquiring step comprises storing the coordinates of the plurality of landmarks on the anatomical structure in a control unit.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of, subsequent to said positioning step, manually moving the surgical instrument in one of a single plane of movement or a single axis of movement.