Biocompatible drill and screw delivery system
Problem statement
Many student athletes participating in strenuous exercise can suffer from acetabular rim fractures, also known as os acetabuli, which may severely affect their future career. The Arthroscopic Fixation of Os Acetabuli is an orthopedic surgery that repairs these acetabular rim fractures. Currently, a drill and cannulated stainless steel screw system uses 1-mm Kirschner wires (K wires) as a guide to determine the drilling direction and screw position on the patient’s pelvis. However, the material strength of the guide wires is not large enough to withstand the drilling stress and is insignificant compared to the material strength of the pelvic bone. Therefore, the guide wire may break during the operation, and due to the minimally invasive procedure, surgeons are unable to retrieve these fragments from the patient’s pelvis. In addition to the problems of the guide wire, the cannulated stainless steel screws used in this surgery have low material strength. They also obscure the MRI image, which affects future diagnostic imaging around the mounted position. To improve this surgical method, the client desires a biocompatible drill and screw delivery system which will eliminate the need for guide wires. The biocompatible screws must also be made of a material that ensures it does not interfere with MRI imaging.
Team members
Jeni Farmerie – leader
Taylor Rosenthal – communicator
Jiayu Li – accountant
Abby Rahn – admin
Client
Brian Walczak, UW-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health