Single Incision Spinal Fusion via Kambin's Triangle
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current surgical methods for spinal stenosis, such as decompressive laminectomy, are invasive and have significant recovery times, hospital stays, and scarring, while less invasive procedures like IPD do not address rotational stability between vertebrae effectively.
Innovation Solution
A minimally invasive single incision anterior and posterior spinal fusion procedure using an interbody cage with extendable wings and a spinal implant, accessed via Kambin's triangle, to promote fusion and rotational stability between vertebrae, reducing recovery time and scarring.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If decompressive laminectomy is performed to treat spinal stenosis, then pressure on the spinal cord and nerves is relieved, but the procedure is invasive with significant recovery time, hospital stay, and scarring
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines anterior interbody fusion and posterior interspinous fusion into a single surgical procedure performed through one lateral incision. This merging of two separate procedures into one reduces overall recovery time, hospital stay, and scarring while maintaining the decompressive benefits of both approaches.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes a lateral approach instead of traditional anterior or posterior approaches. By accessing the spine from the side, the procedure avoids the need for large midline incisions and extensive muscle dissection, thereby reducing tissue trauma, recovery time, and scarring while still achieving effective decompression.
2Loss of time
If interspinous process decompression is performed to treat spinal stenosis, then the procedure is less invasive, but rotational stability between vertebrae is not effectively addressed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines anterior interbody fusion (which addresses rotational stability through cage insertion and bone grafting) with posterior interspinous fusion (which provides less invasive access and immediate stabilization). This combination maintains the rotational stability benefits of traditional fusion while reducing invasiveness through the lateral approach.
Solution Approach 2:
The lateral approach serves multiple functions: it provides access for interbody cage insertion to restore rotational stability, allows for interspinous implant placement to reduce invasiveness, and enables both anterior and posterior fusion through a single incision. This multi-functionality addresses both rotational stability and reduced recovery time.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods for anterior fusion and posterior fusion spinal procedures are disclosed. The spinal procedure may be a minimally invasive procedure. An incision may be made on a back of a patient to provide percutaneous lateral access to a spine of the patient. The access point of Kambin's triangle may be used to reach an intervertebral disc space. Through the incision and with an anterior trajectory, an interbody cage may be inserted into the intervertebral disc space. Thereafter, through the same incision and with a posterior trajectory, a spinal fusion implant may be inserted into an interspinous process space or an interlaminar space. The procedure may be performed through a single incision. The same surgical instrumentation may be used for both the anterior fusion and the posterior fusion procedures.