Robotic Spine Retractor With Adjustable Working Channel
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Solution Overview
Problem
Minimally invasive surgical procedures, such as spinal surgeries, face challenges in accessing the spine with minimal trauma and risk to surrounding anatomical structures, requiring improvements in precision and safety to reduce recovery time and damage.
Innovation Solution
A robotic-assisted surgical system with a retractor apparatus that includes a frame, connecting members, and actuators to vary the dimension of a working channel, allowing precise insertion and manipulation of retractor blades for minimally invasive lateral access spine surgery, guided by image-guided surgery systems for enhanced precision and safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If minimally invasive surgical procedures are used, then recovery time is reduced and damage to surrounding tissues is minimized, but precision and safety in accessing the spine are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical control with an automated robotic system that uses image guidance and computer control to position surgical instruments. The robotic arm with multiple degrees of freedom and image-guided positioning system substitutes the surgeon's manual dexterity with automated precision control, enabling minimally invasive access while maintaining high precision through robotic automation and real-time imaging feedback.
2Measurement precision
If conventional open surgeries are used, then precision and safety are improved, but recovery time increases and damage to surrounding tissues occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the surgical approach into distinct functional components: a robotic positioning system for precision, a modular retractor apparatus with adjustable blades, and image guidance systems. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently - the robotic arm for precision positioning, the retractor blades for minimal tissue disruption, and imaging for real-time feedback - enabling both high precision and minimally invasive access simultaneously.
3Reliability
If robotic automation is increased, then precision and safety are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The robotic system is designed with multi-functional capabilities that reduce overall complexity. The robotic arm can perform multiple surgical tasks including positioning retractors, guiding instruments, and maintaining precise trajectories. The image guidance system serves multiple purposes: pre-operative planning, real-time navigation, and post-operative verification. This universality allows a single integrated system to perform multiple functions that would otherwise require separate devices, managing complexity while enhancing safety.
Data Source
AI summary
A retractor apparatus for a surgical robotic system includes a frame defining a central open region, a connecting member that connects the frame to a robotic arm, a plurality of coupling mechanisms for attaching a set of retractor blades within the central open region of the frame such that blades define a working channel interior of the blades, and a plurality of actuators extending between the frame and each of the coupling mechanisms and configured to move the blades with respect to the frame to vary a dimension of the working channel. Further embodiments include a surgical robotic system that includes a robotic arm and a retractor apparatus attached to the robotic arm, and methods for performing a robot-assisted surgical procedure using a retractor apparatus attached to a robotic arm.