System and methods for performing pedicle integrity assessments of the thoracic spine
First Claim
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1. A method for testing the integrity of bone in one of the thoracic and cervical regions of the spine, comprising the steps of:
- transmitting a series of stimulation signals from a surgical instrument to nervous tissue proximate to one of a thoracic and cervical vertebra pedicle, each stimulation signal in said series of stimulation signals comprising at least two electrical pulses;
sensing from at least one sensor a neuromuscular response associated with each stimulation signal in said series of stimulation signals, wherein the ratio between said pulses and said neuromuscular response is greater than a one-to-one ratio; and
assessing whether the pedicle is one of breached and is close to breached due to one of screw placement, hole formation, and hole preparation into said pedicle.
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Abstract
The present invention includes a system and methods aimed at surgery, and more particularly to a system and methods for monitoring nervous tissue to assess the integrity of a pedicle wall during or after pilot hole formation and before, during, or after screw implantation, particularly in the thoracic spine. The system also performs other neurophysiologic assessments including, but not necessarily limited to, neuromuscular pathway status, nerve proximity detection, nerve pathology monitoring, and spinal cord health monitoring.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. A method for testing the integrity of bone in one of the thoracic and cervical regions of the spine, comprising the steps of:
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transmitting a series of stimulation signals from a surgical instrument to nervous tissue proximate to one of a thoracic and cervical vertebra pedicle, each stimulation signal in said series of stimulation signals comprising at least two electrical pulses; sensing from at least one sensor a neuromuscular response associated with each stimulation signal in said series of stimulation signals, wherein the ratio between said pulses and said neuromuscular response is greater than a one-to-one ratio; and assessing whether the pedicle is one of breached and is close to breached due to one of screw placement, hole formation, and hole preparation into said pedicle. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A method for testing the integrity of bone in one of the thoracic and cervical regions of the spine, comprising the steps of:
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transmitting a series of stimulation signals from a surgical instrument to nervous tissue proximate to one of a thoracic and cervical vertebra pedicle;
each stimulation signal in said series of stimulation signals comprising multiple electrical pulses of equal current, equal duration, and equal interpulse delays;sensing from at least one sensor a neuromuscular response associated with each stimulation signal in said series of stimulation signals wherein the ratio between said multiple electrical pulses and said neuromuscular response is greater than a one-to-one ratio; and assessing whether the pedicle is one of breached and is close to breached due to one of screw placement, hole formation, and hole preparation into said pedicle. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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Specification