Spinal Distractor With Filler Bar For Torque And Guide Features
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current surgical instruments for spinal fusion surgeries, especially minimally invasive techniques, inadequately protect sensitive nerve tissue and impede visibility due to their design, making it difficult to accurately place spinal prostheses.
Innovation Solution
A surgical instrument system comprising a distractor with a paddle and shaft, featuring a filler bar for rigidity and torque, angled guide features, and expansion shoulders to prevent migration, allowing for precise distraction and implant placement through a minimally invasive access port.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If minimally invasive access portals are used, then tissue damage is reduced and recovery is faster, but sensitive nerve tissue protection is inadequate and visibility is impeded
Solution Approach 1:
A guide feature is introduced as an intermediary element that extends along the shaft and paddle. This guide feature provides a protective pathway through the minimally invasive access portal, shielding nerve tissue while maintaining the benefits of smaller incisions. The guide feature acts as a mediator between the surgical instrument and sensitive tissues, enabling safe navigation through tight confines.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If current instruments are used in tight confines, then minimally invasive access is achieved, but surgeon visibility is impeded and implant placement becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The guide feature serves as a mediator that extends along the shaft and paddle, providing a visual and physical pathway for accurate implant placement. This intermediary element overcomes the visibility limitations of minimally invasive approaches by creating a defined trajectory that guides the surgeon's instruments and implants to the correct location.
3Ease of operation
If a distractor is inserted and rotated to distract vertebrae, then spinal distraction is achieved, but instrument rigidity and torque strength are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The filler bar is combined with the distractor shaft and paddle to create a unified instrument structure. This merging of components provides the necessary rigidity and torque strength to enable the distractor to be inserted between adjacent vertebrae in a first orientation and rotated to distract the vertebrae effectively. The integrated structure ensures sufficient mechanical strength during the distraction procedure.
4Reliability
If expansion shoulders are added to prevent distractor migration, then distraction stability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The expansion shoulders are designed to prevent migration of the distractor during distraction by creating a preliminary mechanical lock between the instrument and vertebral structures. This preliminary action ensures stability is established before the main distraction force is applied, reducing the need for additional complex stabilization mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein are methods and devices for distracting adjacent vertebrae during surgical procedures for implanting spinal prostheses. In an exemplary embodiment, a distractor is disclosed that maintains the empty space between adjacent vertebrae following a discectomy, and that can removably mate with other surgical instruments, such as, for example, a filler bar, an implanting tool, or a funnel. In other embodiments of the present invention a distractor is disclosed having various features to assist in implanting a spinal prosthesis, such as, for example, an angled distal end and/or an expandable paddle. In another embodiment of the present invention, an articulating inserter is disclosed. Moreover, various implants and funnels are also disclosed herein.