US 12,274,631 B2
Soft tissue balancing in robotic knee surgery
Pierre Couture, Montreal (CA)
Assigned to Exactech, Inc., Gainesville, FL (US)
Filed by Exactech, Inc., Gainesville, FL (US)
Filed on Dec. 4, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/528,575.
Application 18/528,575 is a continuation of application No. 17/345,918, filed on Jun. 11, 2021, granted, now 11,833,063, issued on Dec. 5, 2023.
Application 17/345,918 is a continuation of application No. 16/262,465, filed on Jan. 30, 2019, abandoned.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/697,227, filed on Jul. 12, 2018.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/625,796, filed on Feb. 2, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2024/0173147 A1, May 30, 2024
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. A61F 2/46 (2006.01); A61B 34/30 (2016.01); A61B 17/00 (2006.01); A61B 34/00 (2016.01); A61B 34/10 (2016.01); A61B 34/20 (2016.01); A61B 90/00 (2016.01)
CPC A61F 2/4657 (2013.01) [A61B 34/30 (2016.02); A61F 2/461 (2013.01); A61F 2/4684 (2013.01); A61B 2017/00221 (2013.01); A61B 2034/105 (2016.02); A61B 2034/108 (2016.02); A61B 2034/2048 (2016.02); A61B 2034/2055 (2016.02); A61B 2034/252 (2016.02); A61B 2034/256 (2016.02); A61B 2090/061 (2016.02); A61B 2090/065 (2016.02); A61F 2002/4633 (2013.01); A61F 2002/467 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method, comprising:
generating a preoperative plan for a knee arthroplasty;
providing a surgical system including:
a computer system, and
an adjustable spacer having one or more integral pumps;
performing a preparation of a first bone of a patient's knee joint to produce a resected surface of the first bone;
inserting the adjustable spacer between the resected surface of the first bone and a surface of a second bone of the patient's knee joint;
inflating a first adjustable component of the adjustable spacer using the one or more integral pumps to separate the first bone and the second bone on a medial side of the patient's knee joint;
inflating a second adjustable component of the adjustable spacer using the one or more integral pumps to separate the first bone and the second bone on a lateral side of the patient's knee joint, the second adjustable component independently adjustable from the first adjustable component;
maintaining an equal gap distance between a medial gap of the knee caused by the first adjustable component and a lateral gap of the knee caused by the second adjustable component by increasing or decreasing pressure in the first adjustable component or the second adjustable component with the one or more integral pumps;
measuring force on the adjustable spacer throughout a range of motion test of the knee joint using a force sensor device, with the adjustable spacer in place and the equal gap distance maintained;
tracking a position of bones of the knee joint utilizing an optical tracking system operatively coupled to the surgical system throughout the range of motion test;
determining a maximum force measured by the force sensor device during the range of motion test; and
outputting the maximum force for display on a user interface of the computer system.