Pedicle Screw Guide Extensions for Single-Incision Spinal Fixation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current minimally invasive pedicle screw stabilization systems for spinal vertebrae require multiple incisions and are hindered by the lordotic curvature of the lumbar spine, leading to interference between screw towers and increased tissue trauma.
Innovation Solution
A system utilizing guidance elements such as extended tabs or blades attached to pedicle screw heads, allowing for the insertion and locking of rods through a single small incision, eliminating the need for cut-outs and accommodating varying anatomical geometries.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional tower-based pedicle screw systems are used, then screw placement and rod insertion can be facilitated, but multiple incisions are required and tissue trauma increases due to the lordotic curvature causing tower interference
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the tower structure from the screw assembly, extracting the guiding function from the screw head and placing it in separate guide elements that can be independently positioned. This eliminates the interference between towers caused by the lordotic curvature while maintaining the ability to guide rod insertion through a single incision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces separate guide elements (such as guide wires, guide tubes, or guide blades) as intermediary components between the screw heads and the rod. These guide elements serve as mediators that transmit the guiding function without requiring the screw heads to have protruding towers, thereby avoiding mutual interference in the lordotic curvature.
2Ease of operation
If multiple incisions are made for pedicle screw stabilization, then access to different screw insertion sites is improved, but the number of incisions increases and recovery is prolonged
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the access pathway for multiple pedicle screws into a single incision by using a single guide element that can be positioned to access different screw insertion sites. This combining of access pathways reduces the number of incisions and thereby shortens recovery time while maintaining surgical accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs dynamic or adjustable guide elements that can be repositioned or reconfigured to access different screw insertion sites through the same incision. This dynamic capability allows the surgeon to adapt the guide element to different anatomical requirements without making additional incisions, thus reducing recovery time.
3Ease of operation
If tower structures are used on screw heads, then rod insertion is guided, but interference between adjacent towers occurs in lordotic curvatures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the guiding function from the screw head by using separate, independent guide elements for each screw. This segmentation allows each guide element to be independently positioned and oriented, eliminating the interference that occurs when rigid tower structures on adjacent screws collide in the lordotic curvature.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a two-dimensional tower structure protruding from the screw head to a three-dimensional guide element system that can be oriented in multiple dimensions. This dimensional change allows the guide elements to be positioned and oriented to avoid mutual interference while maintaining effective rod insertion guidance.
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 1C~1D
Figure 1E~1F
AI summary
Disclosed herein are embodiments of a system for stabilizing spinal vertebrae through a skin incision, that include a first extension (410) removably coupled with a first screw (402) at a distal end thereof, and a second extension (420) removably coupled with a second screw (404) at a distal end of the second extension. A first opening (432) extends through a wall of the first extension. Further, the first opening and the wall of the first extension adjacent to the first opening is sized and configured such that the second extension can be advanced through the first opening so that the second extension is restrained within the first opening and is positionable at an acute angle relative to an axial centerline (C) of the first extension.