Spinal Surgery Guide Segmented Contact for Stable Coupling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Patient-specific surgical guides in spinal surgery face challenges in stabilizing coupling with vertebrae without large contact areas, leading to invasive tissue removal and potential misplacement of pedicle screws or bone resections due to tissue residue.
Innovation Solution
A patient-specific operative guide with multiple contact members, including a main contact member for the spinous process and auxiliary contact members for the vertebrae's laminae or articular processes, providing a stable coupling configuration without extensive tissue cleaning, and featuring guiding members for drill or resection procedures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If large contact areas are used between the guide and the bony structure, then stable coupling configuration is achieved, but extensive tissue cleaning and ligament severing are required which increases operation time and invasiveness
Solution Approach 1:
The contact interface is segmented into multiple discrete contact members (first contact member, second contact member, third contact member) that engage with corresponding anatomical landmarks. This segmentation allows the guide to achieve stable coupling through distributed point contacts rather than requiring large continuous contact areas, thereby reducing the need for extensive tissue cleaning and ligament severing while maintaining operational stability.
2Stability of the object's composition
If large contact areas are used between the guide and the bony structure, then stable coupling configuration is achieved, but the procedure becomes more invasive requiring ligament severing
Solution Approach 1:
The contact interface is segmented into multiple discrete contact members that engage with specific anatomical landmarks. This allows stable coupling to be achieved through strategically positioned point contacts rather than large continuous contact areas, thereby reducing the need for invasive tissue removal and ligament severing while maintaining guide stability during the surgical procedure.
3Loss of time
If tissue is not extensively cleaned, then operation time is reduced and invasiveness is minimized, but the guide may become slippery and deviate from correct positioning
Solution Approach 1:
The contact members are designed with specific local geometries that match the anatomical features they engage with. The first contact member engages the spinous process, the second contact member engages the lamina, and the third contact member engages the articular process. This local quality matching ensures that each contact point provides sufficient friction and mechanical interlocking to prevent guide slippage and deviation, thereby maintaining positioning accuracy without requiring extensive tissue cleaning.
4Loss of time
If multiple contact members are used to reduce tissue cleaning, then a unique coupling configuration is achieved without extensive preparation, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple contact members are merged into a single integrated surgical guide device that functions as a unified coupling system. The first contact member, second contact member, and third contact member are combined with the guide body to form one cohesive device that achieves unique positioning through the coordinated action of all contact members simultaneously, rather than requiring separate adjustment of individual components during surgery.
Data Source
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AI summary
A patient specific operative guide (1) for use in spinal surgery, providing a stable coupling with the patient's vertebra, comprising at least one guiding member (2) for guiding a surgical operation on a patient's vertebra (100); and a plurality of contact members (4, 5, 6) designed to match with a corresponding plurality of contact areas on the patient's vertebra in order to define a unique coupling configuration of the patient specific operative guide on the patient's vertebra, wherein said contact members (4, 5, 6) comprise a main contact member (4), designed to couple with a main contact area corresponding to the spinous process (101) of the patient's vertebra in said coupling configuration, and at least one pair of auxiliary contact members (5, 6), designed to abut on auxiliary contact areas, respectively positioned laterally left and laterally right of the spinous process, in said coupling configuration.