Universal Surgical Instrument Guide for Robotic Spinal Surgery
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Surgical procedures, particularly in spinal surgery, face challenges with maintaining precise trajectories during drilling, tapping, and screw placement due to the limitations of existing robotic systems, which can lead to complications such as misalignment and increased risk of damaging surrounding tissues.
Innovation Solution
A universal surgical instrument guide system is integrated with a robotic surgical system, allowing for precise guidance of surgical instruments through a channel that securely attaches to the robotic arm, using alignment members and navigation markers for accurate positioning, eliminating the need for k-wires and reducing the risk of misalignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a robotic system is used to assist in precise bone drilling, then drilling precision is improved, but risks remain during tapping and implant placement stages due to lack of continuous guidance
Solution Approach 1:
The guide structure is designed as a universal platform that can accommodate multiple different surgical instruments including drills, taps, and implant placement tools. The guide body includes multiple instrument receiving channels and attachment mechanisms that allow various instruments to be secured and guided through the same structured pathway, ensuring continuous trajectory maintenance across all surgical stages.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide structure serves as an intermediary device between the robotic system and surgical instruments. It includes attachment mechanisms with alignment members that interface with the robotic system, and instrument receiving channels that guide surgical tools. This intermediary structure ensures precise trajectory maintenance by physically constraining instruments to follow the pre-planned surgical path throughout drilling, tapping, and implant placement.
2Ease of operation
If k-wires are used to mark the drilled hole for later use, then instrument guidance is improved, but the risk of wire displacement, breakage, or accidental advancement increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the need for k-wires from the surgical process. Instead of using a separate wire to mark the drilled hole, the guide structure itself provides continuous guidance for all instruments. The guide body with its instrument receiving channels directly constrains surgical tools to follow the correct trajectory without requiring any intermediate marking wire, thereby removing the source of wire-related complications.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide structure provides continuous trajectory guidance throughout the entire surgical process from drilling to tapping to implant placement. Unlike k-wires that may become displaced or break, the guide structure remains in place and continuously constrains each instrument to follow the pre-planned surgical path, ensuring uninterrupted and accurate guidance throughout all surgical stages.
3Manufacturing precision
If the surgeon must drill a new hole when the k-wire is found to be loose, then trajectory accuracy is restored, but bone strength is compromised and surgery time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The guide structure is attached to the robotic system before drilling begins, and the surgical trajectory is pre-planned and pre-positioned. The guide body with its instrument receiving channels is already in place to receive and guide all subsequent instruments. This preliminary setup eliminates the need for corrective actions like redrilling, as the guidance system is established upfront and maintains accuracy throughout the entire procedure.
4Extent of automation
If robotic systems provide assistance during only the drilling stage, then automation is improved, but comprehensive surgical guidance is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The guide structure is designed as a universal platform that extends robotic guidance beyond just drilling to include tapping and implant placement stages. The guide body includes multiple instrument receiving channels and attachment mechanisms that allow various instruments to be secured and guided through the same structured pathway, ensuring continuous trajectory maintenance across all surgical stages with consistent robotic assistance.
Data Source
AI summary
Described herein are systems and apparatus of surgical instruments engineered for integration with robotic surgical systems to enhance precision in surgical procedures. Also described herein are methods of using such surgical instruments in performing surgical procedures. The use of such surgical instruments reduce complications arising from misalignment during surgery. The disclosed technology assists in stages of a surgical procedure that require a precise trajectory to be followed. Surgical instrument guides are attached to a universal surgical instrument guide, which is engineered to attach directly or indirectly with a robotic arm of a robotic surgical system. Surgical instruments can then be precisely guided along an axis defined by the universal surgical instrument guide. Individual instruments are easily inserted and removed from the channel of the universal surgical instrument guide, thus allowing a range of instruments to be used throughout a procedure while maintaining the surgical trajectory.