Lateral Hyper-Lordotic Fusion for Sagittal Imbalance Correction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing treatments for sagittal imbalance in the spine, such as osteotomy and vebrectomy, involve large incisions, significant blood loss, and lengthy recovery times due to muscle stripping and multiple surgical approaches.
Innovation Solution
A lateral access approach is used to implant a hyper-lordotic fusion device, which increases anterior spinal height by cutting the Anterior Longitudinal Ligament, allowing for the correction of sagittal imbalance without reducing posterior height, thus minimizing blood loss and recovery time.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional open posterior approach with large incision is used to perform osteotomy and vertebrectomy, then sagittal imbalance can be corrected by removing bone and recreating lordotic curve, but blood loss increases, recovery time extends, and patient risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a traditional posterior approach (one-dimensional access) to a lateral transpsoas approach (different spatial dimension), allowing access to the disc space through the side of the patient's body. This dimensional change enables correction of sagittal imbalance while avoiding muscle stripping and reducing blood loss, as the lateral approach does not require the same extensive soft tissue dissection as the posterior approach
2Reliability
If traditional open posterior approach with large incision is used to perform osteotomy and vertebrectomy, then sagittal imbalance can be corrected, but recovery time increases due to muscle stripping
Solution Approach 1:
The lateral transpsoas approach accesses the disc space through a different spatial pathway (through the psoas muscle from the side) compared to the traditional posterior approach. This dimensional change allows the surgeon to reach the target area without stripping muscle tissue, thereby significantly reducing postoperative pain and recovery time while still achieving the necessary spinal correction
3Adaptability or versatility
If traditional open posterior approach is used to expose multiple spinal levels, then comprehensive treatment can be performed, but device complexity and surgical risk increase
Solution Approach 1:
The lateral transpsoas approach provides access to multiple spinal levels through a single lateral incision and working corridor, eliminating the need for complex multi-level exposure required by the posterior approach. This dimensional change simplifies the surgical procedure while maintaining the ability to treat multiple levels, as the lateral pathway naturally exposes successive disc spaces in sequence
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods are described for correcting sagittal imbalance in a spine including instruments for performing the controlled release of the anterior longitudinal ligament through a lateral access corridor and hyper-lordotic lateral implants.