Patent ID: 9439678
Filing Date: 2016-09-13
CPC Classification: A61B,Y10T

Claim Text:
1. A method of designing a guide tool for cartilage repair in an articulating surface of a joint wherein the guide tool is provided with guide channels intended for insertion of cartilage and bone plugs and also for enabling of guiding insert tools, comprising the steps of: I. determining physical parameters for cartilage damage in a joint and generating design parameters for cartilage and bone plugs and their relative placement in a predetermined pattern, comprising: II. selecting repair objects to fit the individual cartilage damage site wherein the cartilage and bone plugs have surfaces intended to align with the articular cartilage surface in the joint, based on the healthy surface contour curvature; III. determining, based on obtained image data, positions and angles of the selected cartilage and bone plugs, wherein the positions and angles are adapted so that the selected cartilage and bone plugs fit the individual cartilage damage site, wherein said angle of said cartilage and bone plug is selected between 0-40 degrees in relation to the normal of a tangential plane drawn at a point at the articulate surface of the cartilage or of the bone where the axis of the guide channels intersect the articulate surface; IV. generating design parameters of the guide tool, for placement of the cartilage and bone plugs comprising the following steps; V. generating the design for an upper part and a lower part of a guide channel in a guide body extending from the positioning body, said guide channel passing through said positioning body and said guide body wherein the angles and positions are generated dependent on and substantially corresponding to the determined angles and positions of the selected cartilage and bone plugs and are selected between 0-40 degrees in relation to the normal of a tangential plane drawn at a point at the articulate surface of the cartilage or of the bone where the axis of the channels intersect the articulate surface, and wherein the design of each guide channel is provided with a stop function to delimit penetration by a cartilage and bone harvesting and insertion tool and to delimit bone drilling penetration by a drill bit at a site of cartilage damage, and is generated dependent on and substantially corresponding to the determined cross sectional areas, of the selected cartilage and bone plugs.