Frameless Stereotactic Access Device with Skull-Anchored Mounting
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current frameless stereotactic access devices are cumbersome, uncomfortable for patients, time-intensive to set up, and prone to errors due to lack of direct attachment to the patient's head, leading to potential misalignment during procedures.
Innovation Solution
A frameless stereotactic access device with mounting arms that securely attach to the patient's body, featuring a rotating sphere with guide channels and locking mechanisms for precise orientation and trajectory adjustments, allowing for stable and versatile access to body cavities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a frame is mounted to the head with pins for fixation, then high accuracy (1-2 mm) for reaching target structures is achieved, but the frame is cumbersome, uncomfortable for patients, and time intensive
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into separate functional components: a mounting base with pins for skull fixation, a positioning mechanism with adjustable arms, and a drill guide. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function efficiently while reducing overall device complexity and improving patient comfort compared to a single integrated frame.
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting mechanism incorporates adjustable and removable elements, allowing the device to be dynamically configured for different procedures and patients. The pins can be inserted and removed, and the positioning arms can be adjusted, making the device adaptable rather than a fixed cumbersome structure.
2Loss of time
If frameless stereotactic procedures use skin fiducials for registration, then setup time is reduced, but additional error may be realized from registration alone due to skin fiducials being movable in relation to the underlying skull
Solution Approach 1:
The device introduces bone-anchored fiducial markers as an intermediary between the skin surface and the skull. These markers are directly attached to the skull bone, eliminating the movement discrepancy between skin and underlying bone. The navigation system registers to these stable bone-anchored markers rather than movable skin fiducials, maintaining accuracy while keeping the procedure frameless and quick to setup.
3Device complexity
If accessories are attached to the patient's bed rather than directly to the head, then device complexity is reduced, but any movement of the drill may not be directly accompanied by a corresponding movement of the head
Solution Approach 1:
The device merges the benefits of both bed-mounted and head-fixed systems by combining a simple bed-attached base with head-anchored pins. The mounting base attaches to the patient bed or headrest, while L-shaped pins extend from the base to anchor directly into the skull. This merging ensures the drill guide remains rigidly fixed to the skull (ensuring reliability) while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure (managing complexity).
Data Source
Figure 1~1C
Figure 2-1~2-6
Figure 3~4B
AI summary
This invention is directed to devices and methods for stereotactic access, and particularly to a frameless stereotactic access device for accessing a body cavity and methods therefor. In general, a stereotactic device may include portions or features for fixing the device to a portion of a patient's body, such as, for example, a skull, such that the device may be generally spatially fixed in relation to the patient's body or part thereof. The stereotactic device may also generally include portions or features for guiding a medical device or other device at a particular trajectory in relation to the patient's body or part thereof.