Method and Apparatus for an Implantable Inertial-Based Sensing System for Real-Time, In Vivo Detection of Spinal Pseudarthrosis and Adjacent Segment Motion
First Claim
1. An apparatus for sensing relative vertebral movement within a spine of a patient comprising:
- an implantable electronics assembly coupled to at least one of a plurality of vertebrae within the spine for monitoring spatial orientation of at least one of the plurality of vertebrae; and
an external system disposable proximate to the implantable electronics assembly and comprising an induction link and a circuit communicated to the implantable electronics assembly through the induction link for communicating data related to the spatial orientation of at least one of the plurality of vertebrae.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A vertebral processor designed to collect and interpret data from multiple surgically implanted accelerometers. Each accelerometer is surgically implanted into a vertebra of a patient utilizing a bone screw. Additional accelerometers are implanted in adjacent vertebrae. The data from the accelerometers is compared by an algorithm to determine the relative movement of the accelerometers implanted in adjacent vertebrae. Data is generated via the algorithm and compared against the expected behavior of the surgically implanted accelerometers as if they were connected to a rigid body, thus determining the level of success of a spinal fusion procedure for those adjacent segments. The apparatus may be utilized with or without spinal stabilization hardware, and with or without fusion cages or artificial discs. The vertebral processor is supplemented by an external system worn by the patient, which provides for an inductive charging power source and for data transfer.
61 Citations
20 Claims
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1. An apparatus for sensing relative vertebral movement within a spine of a patient comprising:
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an implantable electronics assembly coupled to at least one of a plurality of vertebrae within the spine for monitoring spatial orientation of at least one of the plurality of vertebrae; and an external system disposable proximate to the implantable electronics assembly and comprising an induction link and a circuit communicated to the implantable electronics assembly through the induction link for communicating data related to the spatial orientation of at least one of the plurality of vertebrae. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method for monitoring relative movement of vertebrae in a spine of a patient comprising:
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providing an implantable electronics assembly for coupling to a plurality of vertebrae within the spine capable of sensing movement of the plurality of vertebrae relative to one another; providing an external system for proximate monitoring of the patient; collecting data of the relative movement of the vertebrae sensed by the implantable electronics assembly; and calculating the relative orientation of the vertebrae from the collected data. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A method for determining the success of a spinal fusion procedure comprising:
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implanting a plurality of accelerometers and a vertebral processor with a plurality of implantable accelerometers coupled to at least two vertebrae in the spine of a patient; transmitting power to the vertebral body processor by an induction link from an external system proximate to the patient; sensing the relative acceleration of the plurality of accelerometers by an algorithm stored within the vertebral processor, where if the relative acceleration of the plurality of accelerometers is equal to zero the at least two vertebrae are classified as a successful spinal fusion and if the relative acceleration of the plurality of accelerometers is beyond a predetermined threshold value, the at least two vertebrae are classified as an unsuccessful spinal fusion; and communicating the fusion classification status to the external system.
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Specification