Ankle Fusion Joint Preparation System

Ankle arthrodesis, commonly known as ankle fusion surgery, involves removing cartilage and bone of the tibiotalar joint so that bone can grow onto itself, fusing the ankle and relieving pain. This procedure can fail due to inadequate bone mating. Most surgeons hand chisel the cartilage and bone to create a mating surface, which is a lengthy, inaccurate method that risks fusion failure. A surgical tool kit was designed that includes a reamer, curved guide, and flex mesh device. The tools allow surgeons to work with a patient’s unique anatomy and the sterile operating room. The tools attach to existing surgical power tools for surgeons’ ease of use and to reduce costs. Each tool is contoured, shaped and sized for use within the narrow surgical site without damaging soft tissue around the joint. Tooling was modeled using computer-aided design and prototyped via custom 3D prints.This biocompatible tool set greatly improves upon the current preparation system by having the power and precision to quickly and accurately remove both cartilage and bone, which reduces surgery time and risk to patients, and increases the chances of a successful fusion.