The os acetabular fixation surgery is commonly performed on young adults in athletics who suffer from an os acetabular rim fracture due to intense stress exerted on this pelvic region. This may cause pain or even dysfunction of the hip, which can severely influence the patient’s athletic performance and career.
The current surgery system is not good enough.
Together with our team's client, Dr. Brian E. Walczak, an orthopedic surgeon at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, we aimed to improve the current screw delivery system to join the fractured os acetabular rim, as it currently uses a fragile guide wire and it interferes with MRI scans, causing an increased risk for patients and poor medical image quality.


Delivery System
The system consists of a screw delivery system made of a custom 465 Stainless Steel material, which houses 2 delivery tubes, with one acting as a guide for the drill bit to allow the surgeon to drill through the hip bone and the other will be pre-loaded with the screw.


Screw
Polyether ether ketone (PEEK) was chosen as the material because it exhibits biocompatibility, radiopacity, high strength, and extended degradation resistance. Its versatility in injection molding and 3D printing also further supports its selection as the preferred screw material.

Prototype Testing
A mock surgery was performed on a cow pelvis' acetabular rim to simulate the delivery system in action. This step was crucial in obtaining more feedback from Dr. Walczak.

Related Projects

Powered Skid Steer Door
Jan 14, 2020

Laser Tower 3000
Dec 3, 2020

Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Research
Jan 7, 2020

SLS Surface Roughness Optimization Research
May 13, 2019