Side-Port Vertebral RF Ablation Access for Faster Back Pain Relief
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing treatments for chronic back pain, such as physical therapy, pharmacological therapy, and surgical interventions, are costly, addictive, temporary, ineffective, or require long recovery times, and do not provide adequate relief for the majority of patients, especially those with vertebral endplate degeneration or defects.
Innovation Solution
A medical device with an elongate shaft, a sharpened distal tip, and a channeling member configured to pierce vertebral bone, along with electrodes for delivering radiofrequency energy to modulate nerves like the basivertebral nerve, using a handle with actuators to extend and retract components for precise tissue access and treatment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If existing treatments (physical therapy, pharmacological therapy, surgical interventions) are used for chronic back pain, then pain relief may be achieved temporarily, but the treatments are costly, addictive, temporary, ineffective, or require long recovery times
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical/surgical interventions (vertebral fusion, discectomy) with a minimally invasive radiofrequency ablation system that uses electrical energy to modulate nerves. The device delivers radiofrequency energy through electrodes to achieve nerve modulation without requiring extensive surgical incisions or mechanical manipulation, thereby reducing recovery time while maintaining pain relief effectiveness
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the treatment parameter from mechanical/surgical intervention to energy-based modulation. By controlling the radiofrequency energy parameters (amplitude, duration, frequency) delivered through the electrodes, the system achieves reliable pain relief without the recovery requirements of traditional surgical methods
2Loss of time
If a minimally invasive device is used to access vertebral bodies, then recovery time is reduced, but precise tissue access and nerve modulation require complex device components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a nested configuration where the channeling member is positioned within the shaft, the tracking device surrounds the channeling member, and electrodes are integrated within the tracking device. This nested arrangement allows multiple functional components to be housed within a compact structure, enabling precise tissue access and nerve modulation without increasing the overall device footprint or complicating the minimally invasive approach
Solution Approach 2:
The device is segmented into distinct functional components: the shaft for insertion, the channeling member for creating a pathway, the tracking device for positioning and electrical connection, and the electrodes for energy delivery. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function while maintaining overall device manageability and precision in the minimally invasive procedure
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 device provides effective and targeted nerve modulation, reducing chronic back pain by ablating nerves within vertebral bodies, offering a minimally invasive and potentially long-lasting solution.
Implementation Method 1
a first electrode carried by one of the channeling member and the tracking device, wherein the first electrode is configured to deliver radiofrequency energy to a treatment location
Implementation Method 2
a sharpened distal tip for piercing a bone region of the vertebral body
Implementation Method 3
the elongate channeling member is configured to channel through cancellous bone in the vertebral body
Data Source
AI summary
A medical device for treating a basivertebral nerve in a vertebral body of a patient includes an elongate shaft defining a central channel with a port proximate the distal end. The shaft further comprises a sharpened tip for piercing the vertebral body and a handle including an actuator. A channeling member is disposed within the central channel and is movable to a position wherein the distal end of the channeling member is exterior of the port. A tracking device is disposed within the central channel of the shaft and surrounding at least a portion of the channeling member and is movable to a position in which the distal end of the tracking device is disposed exterior of the port. First and second electrodes are carried by one or both of the channeling member and the tracking device and are configured to deliver radiofrequency energy at the treatment location.