Flexible Textile Sleeve for Minimally Invasive Bone Screw Guidance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Minimally invasive spine surgeries face challenges due to bulky and rigid instrumentation that obstructs the surgeon's view and imposes trauma on soft tissue, limiting adaptability and imaging visibility.
Innovation Solution
A flexible tubular sleeve made of textile material that provides a guide channel for instrumentation, allowing the bone screw to be implanted before coupling with an extension member, reducing physical obstruction and enabling easier surgical access while being radiolucent to enhance imaging.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If rigid cannulae or sleeves are used to create a surgical pathway, then the surgical pathway is established and access to the surgical site is provided, but the instrumentation is bulky and obstructs the surgeon's view of the surgical site
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces rigid cannulae with a flexible sleeve constructed of textile material that can be radially compressed to a small profile for percutaneous insertion and then expanded to provide a stable guide channel. This flexible construction dramatically reduces the physical obstruction and bulkiness while maintaining the essential function of creating a surgical pathway and guiding instrumentation to the bone anchor.
Solution Approach 2:
The sleeve transitions from a compressed state during insertion to an expanded state during use, allowing it to adapt to different surgical phases. The attachment member similarly transitions from a compressed state during insertion to an expanded locked state when engaging the bone anchor, providing dynamic adaptability that reduces obstruction while maintaining functional stability.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If conventional minimally invasive instrumentation is used, then small incisions are made, but the rigid and bulky instruments impose trauma on soft tissue along the surgical pathway
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible textile sleeve conforms to the natural contours of the soft tissue along the surgical pathway, distributing pressure evenly and reducing focal points of trauma. Unlike rigid instruments that create sharp pressure points and tissue damage, the flexible material adapts to tissue geometry, minimizing mechanical injury while maintaining structural integrity for guiding instruments.
Solution Approach 2:
The sleeve is constructed from textile material that combines flexibility with sufficient structural strength to maintain the guide channel and transmit forces during instrumentation insertion. This composite construction allows the device to be soft and conforming to tissue while still providing the mechanical support needed for minimally invasive procedure execution.
3Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If enclosed rigid cannulae are used to provide access, then the surgical pathway is established, but imaging utilizing C-arm or Fluoroscope is inhibited due to size and material composition
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible textile construction of the sleeve makes it radiolucent, allowing X-rays and fluoroscopic imaging to pass through the material without significant attenuation or obstruction. Unlike dense rigid metals that block imaging, the textile fibers allow clear visualization of the surgical site and instrumentation through standard C-arm or fluoroscope imaging systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The sleeve acts as a radiolucent intermediary structure that provides the necessary mechanical function of guiding instrumentation while being transparent to imaging modalities. It mediates between the need for structural support and the need for imaging visibility, allowing both functions to coexist without interference.
4Adaptability or versatility
If predetermined position instrumentation is used, then assembly is simplified, but the surgeon's ability to adapt surgical technique to patient anatomy is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible sleeve and attachment member system allows dynamic adjustment during the surgical procedure. The surgeon can manipulate the sleeve's position, orientation, and degree of expansion to adapt to variations in patient anatomy and surgical requirements, rather than being constrained by a fixed predetermined configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The system allows changes in physical parameters such as the sleeve's radial dimension, longitudinal position, and attachment member expansion state to be adjusted during surgery. This enables the surgeon to optimize the configuration for different anatomical conditions and surgical steps, providing versatility without excessive device complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A flexible tubular member for guiding insertion of instrumentation to a bone screw affixed within bone includes a tubular body that is flexible, constructed of textile material, and defines a longitudinal axis. The tubular body also defines a proximal end and a distal end opposite each other along the longitudinal axis. The tubular body further defines a guide channel that extends from a proximal opening at the proximal end to a distal opening at the distal end. An attachment member is located at the distal end of the tubular body and is configured to couple the distal end to a proximal portion of the bone screw. The attachment member has an annular shape around the guide channel and is configured to expand responsive to a predetermined tensile force applied to the tubular body for decoupling from the bone screw