Spinal Stabilization Dilator for Percutaneous Rod Delivery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional spinal stabilization systems require large incisions and cause significant trauma to soft tissue, leading to prolonged recovery times due to the need for extensive tissue dissection and retraction during minimally invasive procedures.
Innovation Solution
A spinal stabilization system and method utilizing a shaped dilator to percutaneously deliver an elongated member, allowing for the installation of a spinal rod without additional incisions, with the dilator providing a working channel for the elongated member to be seated in a collar of a bone fastener assembly, enabling flexible placement and reduced tissue trauma.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional stabilization systems are used with large incisions, then access to the spine is achieved, but tissue trauma and recovery time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The surgical approach is segmented into multiple small incisions rather than one large incision. Each incision serves a specific function: one for the dilator, another for the rod. This segmentation allows access to the deep spinal structures while keeping each individual incision small, thereby reducing overall tissue trauma while maintaining surgical accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
A dilator is introduced as an intermediary device that creates a working channel through the tissue to the spinal target site. This intermediary tool allows the rod to be delivered percutaneously through a small incision without requiring direct visual exposure or large incisions, thus providing access while minimizing tissue disruption.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If minimally invasive procedures are used, then tissue trauma is reduced, but access to the stabilization site becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The dilator serves as a mediator that bridges the small incision and the deep spinal target. It creates a controlled pathway through the tissue, allowing surgical instruments to reach the stabilization site while maintaining the benefits of minimal incision size and reduced tissue trauma.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from a two-dimensional approach (large incision providing direct access) to a three-dimensional approach (small incision with dilator creating a working channel). This dimensional change allows access to the same deep structures through a much smaller entry point by utilizing the depth dimension created by the dilator's working channel.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If percutaneous delivery is used, then additional incisions are avoided, but rod placement flexibility is constrained
Solution Approach 1:
The rod is designed with changeable parameters including adjustable length and curvature. The rod can be selected or adjusted to match different spinal anatomies and pathological conditions, providing the necessary flexibility for various rod placement scenarios while maintaining percutaneous delivery benefits.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates dynamic elements that allow adjustment during the procedure. The rod's curvature and positioning can be modified to accommodate different spinal configurations, enabling flexible rod placement even through the constrained percutaneous approach.
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure relates generally to embodiments of systems and methods of spinal stabilization. Embodiments include methods that use a dilator to displace tissue proximate to a sleeve. An embodiment of a surgical system can comprise a dilator that may define a working channel from a first opening to a second opening. The dilator can be positioned to displace tissue proximate to the sleeve. The dilator may be shaped to allow a first end of an elongated member to enter the working channel through the first opening and exit the dilator through the second opening to be percutaneously moved to another assembly.