Modular Active Spine Tool For Measuring Vertebral Load and Position of Load

• US 20130079791A1
• Filed: 09/23/2011
• Published: 03/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Howmedica Osteonics Corp. (Stryker Corporation)
• Original Assignee: OrthoSensor, Inc (Stryker Corporation)
• Inventors: Stein, Marc, Chase, Andrew U.
• Granted Patent: US 8,690,888 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/102
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/025 Joint distractors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/86 Pins or screws or threaded wires; nuts therefor A61B17/72 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/885 Tools for expanding or compacting bones or discs or cavities therein A61B17/8805, A61B17/7097 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00221 with wireless transmission of data, e.g. by infrared radiation or radiowaves
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00473 Distal part, e.g. tip or head A61B2017/00464 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00477 Coupling A61B2017/0046 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00734 battery operated
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0256 for the spine
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2048 using an accelerometer or inertia sensor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/064 for measuring force, pressure or mechanical tension
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/20 Surgical navigation systems; Devices for tracking or guiding surgical instruments, e.g. for frameless stereotaxis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/25 User interfaces for surgical systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/06 Measuring instruments not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/4455 for the fusion of spinal bodies, e.g. intervertebral fusion of adjacent spinal bodies, e.g. fusion cages intervertebral discs A61F2/442
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/4611 of spinal prostheses
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/4657 Measuring instruments used for implanting artificial joints for surgical instruments A61B90/06
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/2835 Bone graft implants for filling a bony defect or an endoprosthesis cavity, e.g. by synthetic material or biological material
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30011 differing in porosity
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30593 hollow
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/3085 with a threaded, e.g. self-tapping, bone-engaging surface, e.g. external surface
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/4666 : for measuring force, pressure or mechanical tension
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2310/00023 : Titanium or titanium-based alloys, e.g. Ti-Ni alloys

Abstract

A spine measurement system includes a plurality of sensored heads, a spinal instrument, and a remote system. The spinal instrument comprises a handle, a shaft, sensored heads, and a module. The sensored heads includes one or more sensors that couple to module and each has a different height. The module includes an electronic assembly for receiving, processing, and sending quantitative data from sensors in sensored heads. The module can be coupled to and removed from handle. Similarly, sensored heads can be coupled to and removed from shaft. A sensored head can be inserted between vertebra and report vertebral conditions such as force, pressure, orientation and edge loading. A GUI of remote system can display a workflow and report load and position of load during the workflow.

Claims

1. An insertion measurement system for a spinal region comprising:

a spinal instrument including;

a shaft;

a handle coupled to the proximal end of the shaft;

a removable sensored head coupled to a distal end of the shaft; and

a removable electronic assembly operatively coupled to the removable sensored head.

2. The system of claim 1 further including a plurality of removable sensored heads for coupling to the distal end of the shaft where each of the plurality of sensored heads has a different height for distracting the spinal region.

3. The system of claim 1 where the distal end of the shaft and the proximal end of the sensored head include a coupling for physically attaching the sensored head to the distal end of the shaft, where the distal end of the shaft has an electrical interface, and where the proximal end of the sensored head has an electrical interface corresponding to the electrical interface on the distal end of the shaft.

4. The system of claim 3 further including an interconnect coupled to the electrical interface at the distal end of the shaft where the interconnect couples through a lengthwise passage in the shaft and where the interconnect couples to an electrical interface in the handle.

5. The system of claim 4 further including a module housing the electronic assembly where the module includes an electrical interface coupled to the electronic assembly.

6. The system of claim 5 where the module fits in a cavity in the handle.

7. The system of claim 6 where the sensored head and the module are disposable.

8. The system of claim 1 where the sensored head comprises:

a first support structure having an external surface;

a second support structure having an external surface; and

a plurality of load sensors coupled to the interface on the proximal end of the sensored head.

9. The system of claim 1 further comprising an insert instrument for placing a prosthetic component in the spinal region where the insert instrument includes an electronic assembly for measuring one of orientation, rotation, angle, or position of the prosthetic component or insert instrument.

10. The system of claim 9 further including a remote system having a display for receiving data from either the spinal instrument or the insert instrument.

11. A measurement system for comprising:

a spinal instrument having a handle and a shaft;

a plurality of removable sensored heads for coupling to a distal end of the shaft where each removable sensored head has a different height and where each removable sensored head includes a plurality of load sensors; and

an electronic assembly for providing quantitative data from the plurality of load sensors.

12. The system of claim 11 further including a remote system for communicating with the electronic assembly of the spinal instrument where the remote system includes a display.

13. The system of claim 12 further including an insert instrument for placing a prosthetic component in the spinal region where the insert instrument includes an electronic assembly for measuring one of orientation, rotation, angle, or position of the prosthetic component or insert instrument

16. The system of claim 11 where the distal end of the shaft and a proximal end of the sensored head include a coupling for physically attaching the sensored head to the distal end of the shaft, where the distal end of the shaft has an electrical interface, and where the proximal end of the sensored head has an electrical interface corresponding to the electrical interface on the distal end of the shaft.

14. The system 11 where the electronic assembly is housed in a module, where the module includes an electrical interface, where the module fits in a cavity of the handle of the spinal instrument, and where the cavity of the handle includes an electrical interface.

15. The system of claim 14 further including an interconnect coupled to the electrical interface of the distal end of the shaft where the interconnect couples through a lengthwise passage in the shaft to couple to the electrical interface in the handle.

17. A method of measuring a spinal region comprising the steps of:

selecting one of a plurality of removable sensored heads each having a different height;

coupling a first removable sensored head to a distal end of a shaft of a spinal instrument; and

coupling a module having an electronic assembly to the spinal instrument where the electronic assembly operatively couples to sensors of the first sensored head.

18. The method of claim 17 further including the steps of:

removing the first removable sensored head from distal end of the shaft of the spinal instrument;

selecting one of the remaining plurality of sensored heads having different heights; and

coupling a second removable sensored head to the distal end of the shaft of the measurement instrument.

19. The method of claim 17 further including the step of enabling the spinal instrument where a power source within the module couples to the electronic assembly for providing quantitative measurements of the spinal region.

20. The method of claim 17 further including a step of placing the module in a cavity of a handle of the spinal instrument.