System and method for vertebral load and location sensing

• US 9,839,374 B2
• Filed: 09/23/2011
• Issued: 12/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Howmedica Osteonics Corp. (Stryker Corporation)
• Original Assignee: OrthoSensor, Inc (Stryker Corporation)
• Inventors: Roche, Martin, Boillot, Marc, Stein, Marc
• Primary Examiner(s): DOUGHERTY, SEAN PATRICK
• Application Number:
  US13/243,362
• Publication Number:
  US 20130079679A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,272 Days
• Field of Search: 600301, 600424, 600594
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/103 Detecting, measuring or recording devices for testing the shape, pattern, colour, size or movement of the body or parts thereof, for diagnostic purposes A61B5/08 takes precedence; measuring aids for tailors A41H1/00; measuring instruments specially adapted for dentistry A61C19/04
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1036 Measuring load distribution, e.g. podologic studies
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1071 measuring angles, e.g. using goniometers A61B5/1123 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4566 Evaluating the spine A61B5/4561 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/686 Permanently implanted devices, e.g. pacemakers, other stimulators, biochips A61B5/6861 takes precedence
• 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 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 2310/00023 Titanium or titanium-based alloys, e.g. Ti-Ni alloys

Abstract

A load balance and alignment system is provided to assess load forces on the vertebra in conjunction with overall spinal alignment. The system includes a spine instrument having an electronic assembly and a sensorized head. The sensorized head can be inserted between vertebra and report vertebral conditions such as force, pressure, orientation and edge loading. A GUI is therewith provided to show where the spine instrument is positioned relative to vertebral bodies as the instrument is placed in the inter-vertebral space. The system can report optimal prosthetic size and placement in view of the sensed load and location parameters including optional orientation, rotation and insertion angle along a determined insert trajectory.

Claims

1. A spinal measurement system comprising:

a spinal distractor configured to distract a region of a spine, the spine distractor comprising;

a handle coupled to a shaft and the shaft coupled to a sensored head wherein the sensored head includes at least one load sensor to measure loading applied by the spine in the region distracted by the spinal distractor;

an electronic assembly configured to couple to the sensored head wherein the electronic assembly includes a transmitter configured to transmit load measurement data;

an insert instrument configured to place a spine cage comprising;

a shaft;

a tip coupled to a distal end of the; and

a handle coupled to the shaft wherein the insert instrument is configured to place a spinal cage in the region distracted by the spinal distractor;

a position measurement system configured to monitor a position of the spinal distractor, the insert instrument, or the spine, over a range of five meters or less wherein the position measurement system is configured to transmit position measurements in real-time;

a remote system wherein the remote system comprises a computer wherein the computer includes software and memory, wherein the computer is configured to receive load measurement data, and wherein the computer is configured to receive position data of the spinal distractor, the insert instrument, or the spine; and

wherein the electronic assembly is configured to couple to the insert instrument, wherein the electronic assembly is configured to transmit position measurements in real-time, and wherein the computer is configured to compare the path, positions, and trajectory of the insert instrument to the path, positions, and trajectory of the spinal distractor.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the sensored head of the spinal distractor has a convex surface.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the position measurement system is in the electronic assembly.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the electronic assembly is in the handle of the spinal distractor.

5. The system of claim 3 wherein the position measurement system comprises a plurality of accelerometers.

6. The system of claim 3 wherein the electronic assembly is removable from the spinal distractor wherein the computer is configured to receive position measurements of the spinal distractor, wherein the computer stores the position measurements in the memory coupled to the computer, wherein the computer is configured to identify a path, positions, and trajectory of the spinal distractor to the region distracted by the spinal distractor.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the sensored head of the spinal distractor includes a plurality of load sensors and wherein the spinal distractor is configured to measure load magnitude and position of load in the region distracted by the spinal distractor.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the position measurement system comprises a receiver and at least one wand, wherein the receiver is in a field of view of a surgical area, wherein the receiver is acoustically coupled to the at least one wand to track the at least one wand orientation and location, and wherein the at least one wand comprises at least three ultrasonic tranducers.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the tip of the at least one wand can include a sensor.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein the position measurement system measures a time of flight and a differential time of flight of acoustic signals from the at least one wand to measure distance and position of the at least one wand.

11. The spinal measurement system according to claim 8 wherein the at least one wand can be coupled to the spine.

12. The system of claim 8 wherein the at least one wand can be coupled to the spinal distractor.

13. The system of claim 8 wherein the at least one wand can be coupled to the insert instrument.

14. The system of claim 8 wherein a tip of the at least one wand is configured to touch an object to register a point within the surgical area.