Percutaneous registration apparatus and method for use in computer-assisted surgical navigation

Abstract

An apparatus and procedures for percutaneous placement of surgical implants and instruments such as, for example, screws, rods, wires and plates into various body parts using image guided surgery. The invention includes an apparatus for use with a surgical navigation system, an attaching device rigidly connected to a body part, such as the spinous process of a vertebrae, with an identification superstructure rigidly but removably connected to the attaching device. This identification superstructure, for example, is a reference arc and fiducial array which accomplishes the function of identifying the location of the superstructure, and, therefore, the body part to which it is fixed, during imaging by CAT scan or MRI, and later during medical procedures.

Description

[0001]This application is a reissue of U.S. Pat. No. 6,226,548 issued on May 1, 2001 and also claims benefit under 35 U.S.C. §120 as a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 423,332 filed on Apr. 24, 2003, now RE 39,133; which is a reissue of U.S. Pat. No. 6,226,548 issued on May 1, 2001; which claims rights under 35 U.S.C. §119 on provisional application No. 60 / 059,915, filed on Sep. 24, 1997. Notice is also given that concurrently filed is U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09 / 148,498 filed on Sep. 4, 1998; which is also is a reissue of U.S. Pat. No. 6,226,548 issued on May 1, 2001 and also claims benefit under 35 U.S.C. §120 as a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 423,332 filed on Apr. 24, 2003; which is a reissue of U.S. Pat. No. 6,226,548 issued on May 1, 2001; which claims rights under 35 U.S.C. §119 on provisional application No. 60 / 059,915, filed on Sep. 24, 1997. The disclosures of the above applications are incorporated herein by reference.[0002...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention is about an apparatus and procedure for placing surgical implants and instruments in body parts using image-guided surgery. Specifically, it is about a device for attaching a fixture to a spinous process of a vertebrae and a superstructure with a fiducial array and reference arc for use in a surgical navigation system. The invention allows for the percutaneous placement of surgical implants and instruments in spinal elements, such as screws or rods, using image-guided surgical navigation techniques. The invention also includes a system for tracking the position of body parts, such as spinal vertebrae, and realigning them to correspond with a previously stored image or the actual current position of the body parts. The invention also provides a method for allowing a fiducial array or reference arc to be removable from a location rigidly fixed to a body part and replaceable back in that precise location. The technical effects of the invention include improved accuracy in the placement of surgical implants and instruments, reduced risk of complications, and improved outcomes in surgical procedures.

Problems solved by technology

This standard procedure is invasive and can result in trauma, blood loss, and post operative pain.

However, this technique can be difficult in that fluoroscopes only provide two-dimensional images and require the surgeon to rotate the fluoroscope frequently in order to get a mental image of the anatomy in three dimensions.

Additionally, the subcutaneous implants required for this procedure may irritate the patient.

This is due in part to the fact that there is no fluoroscopic technique that has been designed which can always adequately place rods or plates at the submuscular region (or adjacent to the vertebrae).

These subcutaneous rods or plates may not be well tolerated by the patient.

They also may not provide the optimal mechanical support to the spine because the moment arm of the construct can be increased, thereby translating higher loads and stresses through the construct.

When there is an opportunity for anatomical movement, such movement degrades the fidelity of the pre-procedural images in depicting the intra-procedural anatomy.

Furthermore, spinal surgical procedures are typically highly invasive.

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