Spinal Pedicle Screw Tower Nesting for Single-Incision Rod Insertion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current minimally invasive spinal pedicle screw systems face challenges in efficiently inserting rods through intersecting towers, requiring multiple incisions and complicating the alignment and locking of screws and rods.
Innovation Solution
The system employs a novel configuration of guiding elements, including towers and a rod insertion device with a rotating arm, allowing for the passage of a connecting element through a single incision and enabling efficient alignment and locking of screws and rods without direct visualization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If multiple towers are used for pedicle screw insertion, then screw placement accuracy is improved, but the number of incisions increases and tissue trauma is exacerbated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements nesting by allowing the second tower to pass through the first tower, and the third tower to pass through both previous towers. This nested configuration enables multiple towers to be accessed through a single incision, maintaining screw placement accuracy while minimizing tissue trauma by avoiding multiple separate incisions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent resolves the spatial conflict of multiple towers by utilizing the longitudinal dimension of the towers. Instead of placing towers side-by-side requiring multiple incisions, the towers are arranged in a linear sequence along the longitudinal axis, allowing them to be accessed through one incision while maintaining their individual functional positions.
2Ease of operation
If towers are configured to intersect at skin level, then rod insertion is simplified, but alignment precision deteriorates due to lordotic curvature
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces bends in the towers that correspond to the lordotic curvature of the spine. This curvature compensation allows the towers to intersect at skin level for ease of rod insertion while maintaining precise alignment with the pedicle screws, as the bends adjust for the natural spinal curvature that would otherwise prevent proper alignment.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If percutaneous approach is used, then tissue trauma is reduced, but operational complexity increases due to lack of direct visualization
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs preliminary action through fluoroscopic imaging to guide tower and rod placement before final insertion. This pre-planning and imaging-guided approach compensates for the lack of direct visualization in percutaneous surgery, allowing precise placement without requiring open exposure, thus maintaining minimal tissue trauma while managing procedural complexity through advanced imaging techniques.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein are embodiments of a system and embodiments of a method for stabilizing spinal vertebrae through a skin incision. In some embodiments, the system or method can include a first screw having a first screw head, a second screw having a second screw head, and/or a third screw having a third screw head, a first tower having a distal portion, a proximal portion, and a bend between the distal portion and the proximal portion, a second tower having a distal portion, a proximal portion, and a bend between the distal portion and the proximal portion, a third tower having a distal portion and a proximal portion, the third tower configured to be removably coupled with the third screw at a distal end of the third tower, and a rod insertion device configured to rotatably advance a connection element to at least the first and second towers.