Force-Sensing Spinal Stiffness Assessment During Surgery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for assessing spine stiffness during surgical procedures are often inaccurate, leading to misjudgments that can cause changes in the surgical plan, adding time and stress to the procedure, and may result in blood loss and instability due to insufficient or excessive corrective forces.
Innovation Solution
A spinal stiffness system utilizing force-sensing instruments and a comprehensive database model that incorporates real-time data analysis and machine learning to provide accurate feedback on spine stiffness, allowing for precise surgical interventions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If preoperative imaging studies and physical tests are used to assess spine stiffness, then the assessment can be performed before surgery, but the accuracy of stiffness measurement is insufficient leading to misjudgments
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary stiffness assessment through preoperative imaging studies and physical tests, but more importantly, it establishes a database model beforehand that can be rapidly queried intraoperatively. This preliminary preparation enables quick reference to expected stiffness values during surgery without requiring time-consuming real-time calculations or additional measurements.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by comparing intraoperatively measured spine stiffness values against expected values from the database model. This feedback loop allows surgeons to verify whether the actual stiffness matches preoperative predictions, enabling real-time adjustments to the surgical plan when discrepancies are detected, thereby improving measurement accuracy while maintaining efficiency.
2Reliability
If corrective forces are applied based on inaccurate stiffness assessment, then the surgical plan can proceed, but blood loss and instability occur due to insufficient or excessive forces
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors actual spine stiffness measurements during surgery and compares them against expected values from the database model. When discrepancies exceed predetermined thresholds, the system provides feedback to the surgeon, triggering a review and potential adjustment of the surgical plan. This feedback mechanism ensures that corrective forces are appropriately calibrated to actual patient-specific stiffness characteristics, preventing both insufficient correction and excessive forces that could cause instability or blood loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables dynamic adjustment of the surgical plan based on real-time stiffness measurements. Rather than following a fixed preoperative plan, the surgical approach can be adapted intraoperatively based on actual measured stiffness values, allowing the surgical team to optimize corrective forces dynamically to match the patient's actual spinal characteristics.
3Manufacturing precision
If more corrective force is applied to high stiffness spines, then adequate correction can be achieved, but the risk of anatomical disruption and morbidity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables localized assessment of spine stiffness at different spinal levels by comparing segmental stiffness measurements against level-specific expected values in the database model. This allows surgeons to identify specific regions where stiffness deviates from norms and tailor corrective forces locally to those areas rather than applying uniform forces throughout the spine, thereby achieving accurate correction while minimizing unnecessary anatomical disruption in regions that don't require aggressive intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The system helps surgeons apply the minimum necessary corrective force by providing real-time feedback on actual versus expected stiffness. Rather than applying excessive force to ensure adequate correction, the system enables precise dosing of corrective force based on measured stiffness values, applying just enough force to achieve the desired correction while avoiding the harmful effects of excessive anatomical disruption.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system enables surgeons to make informed decisions during surgery by providing real-time feedback on spine stiffness, ensuring accurate corrective forces are applied, reducing complications and improving surgical efficiency and safety.
Implementation Method 1
force-sensing instruments may be configured to measure both displacement and force, which provide the surgeon with a more accurate understanding of the patient's specific spinal biomechanics during surgery
Data Source
AI summary
Devices, systems, and methods for evaluating spinal stiffness of a patient. One method may include providing a database model based on existing patient data with normalized spine stiffness data. Segmental stiffness may be measured intraoperatively, for example, using a force-sensing instrument, and compared to the database model. A surgical task, such as osteotomy or ligament release, may be performed based on guidance from the database model to adjust the spinal stiffness of the patient. Segmental stiffness may be measured after each surgical task, thereby updating the database model with each reading on segmental stiffness in real time. Each level may be addressed until targeted stiffness values, such as segmental stiffness and global stiffness, are reached based on the database model.