Bone Bridge for En Bloc Registration in Navigated Surgery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing surgical navigation systems face challenges in tracking multiple anatomical structures, such as vertebrae, individually, which leads to increased complexity, invasiveness, and surgeon fatigue due to the need for multiple navigation markers, and frequent re-registration due to movement of vertebrae during surgery.
Innovation Solution
A bone bridge system that attaches navigation markers to multiple vertebrae, limiting their movement and allowing them to be tracked as a single functional unit, using various attachment methods like fasteners, clamping jaws, and adjustable telescoping features, reducing the need for individual marker placement and re-registration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If individual navigation markers are placed on each vertebra, then tracking precision is improved, but device complexity and surgical invasiveness increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple individual navigation markers into a single integrated navigation marker assembly that can track multiple vertebrae simultaneously. This merging approach maintains tracking precision while reducing the number of separate markers needed, thereby decreasing device complexity and surgical invasiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The navigation marker assembly is designed to serve multiple functions by tracking several vertebrae at once. This multi-functional design eliminates the need for separate markers on each vertebra, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining the precision required for tracking multiple anatomical structures.
2Measurement precision
If individual navigation markers are placed on each vertebra, then tracking accuracy is improved, but surgical time and surgeon fatigue increase
Solution Approach 1:
By merging multiple tracking functions into a single navigation marker assembly, the surgical process is streamlined. The assembly can be installed once to track multiple vertebrae, eliminating the time-consuming process of placing and registering individual markers on each vertebra, thus reducing surgical time while maintaining tracking accuracy.
3Measurement precision
If vertebrae are tracked individually, then precise location information is obtained, but movement between vertebrae requires frequent re-registration
Solution Approach 1:
The navigation marker assembly is designed to move collectively with the vertebrae as a group, maintaining consistent relative positions. This approach preserves the ability to obtain precise location information for each vertebra while eliminating the need for frequent re-registration, as the assembly adapts to physiological movements without breaking the reference frame.
4Measurement precision
If multiple navigation markers are used on each vertebra, then comprehensive tracking is achieved, but clutter in surgical space increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent consolidates multiple tracking functions into a single integrated navigation marker assembly, which significantly reduces the physical clutter in the surgical space. The assembly maintains comprehensive tracking capabilities by incorporating multiple tracking elements in a compact, unified structure that occupies less space than multiple separate markers.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for registering and tracking multiple anatomical structures, e.g., multiple vertebrae, as a single functional unit for surgical procedures are disclosed herein. In some embodiments, the system can include a bone bridge for attaching a navigation marker to multiple vertebrae and for limiting or preventing movement between the multiple vertebrae. Various ways of attaching the bone bridge are disclosed, including fasteners that extend through gaps or throughholes formed in the bridge, bridges having a jaw portion that clamps the underlying bone, and bridges formed of adhesive or cement and directly attached to the bone. Various adjustment features are also disclosed, including joints that allow the position and/or orientation of the bridge to be adjusted in one or more degrees of freedom, and bridges that include telescoping portions or other features for adjusting a length of the bridge.