Percutaneous Vertebral Stabilization via Segmented Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional spine surgery methods, particularly pedicle screw fixation with deep rod placement, pose challenges for minimally invasive approaches, leading to tissue damage, blood loss, and longer recovery times, as they require large incisions and extensive muscle dissection.
Innovation Solution
A percutaneous vertebral stabilization system involving polyaxial screws and a stabilization member insertion device that allows for the placement of anchors through small incisions, enabling the stabilization member to be rotated and positioned independently of linear movement, facilitating vertebral stabilization with reduced tissue disruption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional open spine surgery with large incisions is used, then vertebral stabilization can be achieved, but soft tissue damage and blood loss increase
Solution Approach 1:
The surgical approach is segmented into multiple small percutaneous openings (typically 2-4 openings) rather than one large incision. Each opening provides access to specific vertebral levels, allowing stabilization to be achieved through distributed minimal-access points while reducing overall soft tissue disruption and blood loss.
Solution Approach 2:
An access sleeve acts as an intermediary device inserted through the percutaneous opening to facilitate anchor placement. The sleeve provides a protected pathway and working channel that enables deep vertebral body access while minimizing direct tissue trauma and allowing retraction of soft tissues away from the surgical site.
2Reliability
If conventional open spine surgery with extensive muscle dissection is used, then vertebral stabilization can be achieved, but recovery time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The surgical access is divided into multiple small percutaneous openings distributed at different locations, avoiding the need for extensive muscle dissection required by a single large incision. This segmented approach preserves muscle integrity and reduces postoperative pain, leading to faster recovery.
Solution Approach 2:
The access sleeve is extracted or removed after anchor placement is complete, taking with it the minimal tissue trauma and blood exposure that occurred during the procedure. This extraction of the access pathway eliminates the need for extensive muscle closure and reduces recovery time compared to traditional open surgery.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If minimally invasive percutaneous approach is used, then soft tissue damage is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The access sleeve serves multiple functions: it provides a protective tunnel for anchor insertion, allows retraction of soft tissues, enables delivery of stabilization components, and facilitates removal of instruments. This multi-functionality consolidates what would otherwise require multiple separate devices into a single integrated component, managing complexity while maintaining minimal invasiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The stabilization member and anchor are nested within the access sleeve during insertion, with the sleeve providing a containing structure that guides and protects these components. This nesting arrangement simplifies the surgical field by organizing multiple components within a single access pathway, reducing the apparent complexity of the procedure.
4Area of stationary object
If percutaneous anchor placement is used, then incision size is reduced, but placement precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
Traditional open surgical anatomy and tactile guidance are replaced with image-guided techniques (fluoroscopy, CT, or optical navigation) to precisely locate and place anchors through percutaneous openings. This substitution of mechanical/anatomical guidance with imaging-based positioning enables accurate deep vertebral body anchor placement through minimal incisions.
Solution Approach 2:
The access sleeve acts as an intermediary that provides a guided pathway and working channel, allowing precise anchor placement deep within the vertebral body while maintaining a small percutaneous opening. The sleeve's structured design includes alignment features and retraction mechanisms that facilitate precise positioning without requiring large incisions.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a percutaneous vertebral stabilization system. A first anchor is positionable within a body of a patient through a first percutaneous opening and a second anchor is positionable within a body of a patient through a second percutaneous opening. A stabilization member is positionable within the body of a patient through the first percutaneous opening to engage and connect the first and second anchors.