Integrated electromagnetic implant guidance systems and methods of use for sacroiliac joint fusion

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9820783-B2
Application number	US-201615178244-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 9, 2016
Priority date	Jan 13, 2010
Publication date	Nov 21, 2017
Grant date	Nov 21, 2017

Abstract

A system for fixating a dysfunctional sacroiliac joint for SI joint fusion, the system including a sacroiliac joint implant, a sacroiliac joint screw or rod and a delivery tool configured for approaching a sacroiliac joint. The system may include an implant having a porous 3D matrix structure and may be manufactured by laser or electron beam additive manufacturing. The delivery tool may include a radiolucent material. The SI fusion system may further include custom sacroiliac joint implants, anchors, alignment tools or targeting arms manufactured for a particular patient. Pre-surgical imaging studies, including 3D rendering, and their interpretation may assist in planning desired trajectories, anchor dimensions and implant dimensions and may provide details specific to the manufacture of particular sacroiliac joint tools or implants and their implantation into the sacroiliac joint. The system may be configured for use with surgical robots and may include an integrated nerve monitoring and stimulation system.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sacroiliac joint fusion system comprising:
a) a joint implant comprising an electrode and a body including a distal end and a proximal end opposite the distal end, the electrode supported on the implant, wherein the electrode is located at a distal-inferior corner of the joint implant, the distal-inferior corner being defined at an intersection of a distal end surface and an inferior surface, the inferior surface extending between the proximal end and the distal end surface;
b) a delivery tool comprising an implant arm with a distal end configured to releasably couple to the proximal end of the body of the joint implant;
c) a nerve stimulating system configured to sense nerve proximity with the electrode; and
d) an electrical conductor pathway extending from the electrode along the implant and implant arm to the nerve stimulating system, the electrical conductor pathway placing the electrode and nerve stimulating system in electrical communication.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the proximal end of the implant and the distal end of the implant arm include a cooperatively mating electrical connection that forms a segment of the electrical conductor pathway.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the cooperatively mating electrical connection includes male-female pin contact assembly.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the electrode is at or near the distal end of the body of the joint implant, the body of the joint implant further comprising an electrically insulative coating or being formed of an electrically nonconductive material.

5. A sacroiliac joint navigation and implant system configured to provide functional surgical guidance to an operator during a sacroiliac joint fusion procedure on a patient having a sacroiliac joint comprising a sacrum and an ilium, the system comprising:
a) a joint implant comprising an electrode and a body including a distal end and a proximal end opposite the distal end, the electrode supported on the implant;
b) a delivery tool comprising an implant arm including a distal end configured to releasably couple to the body of the joint implant;
c) a controller unit configured to cause the electrode to emit a predetermined amount of energy;
d) a data acquisition system comprising a second electrode, signal conditioning circuitry and a processing unit wherein the data acquisition system is configured to receive energy via the second electrode, convert physical parameters caused by the electrode to an electrical signal operable to enable the processing unit to process the signal to provide data comprising a relative location of the implant;
e) a first electrical conductor pathway extending from the electrode along the joint implant and implant arm to the controller unit, the first electrical conductor pathway placing the electrode and controller unit in electrical communication; and
f) a second electrical conductor pathway extending from the second electrode to the data acquisition system, the second electrical conductor pathway placing the second electrode, the signal conditioning circuitry, and the processing unit in electrical communication with one another,
wherein the system is configured to transmit real-time functional guidance data to a surgical robot during the sacroiliac joint fusion procedure via at least one signal comprising a modulated parameter, the data being a result of signal conditioning and processing, the data comprising localization data being a correlate of the relative location of the implant, and

wherein the energy emitted from the electrode is adjustable.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the system further comprises an electromyograph.

7. The system of claim 5 , wherein the electrode is displaceable relative to the implant body.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the electrode is removable from the implant body.

9. The system of claim 5 , wherein the electrode is affixed to the implant body such that it is not removable from the implant body after implantation.

10. The system of claim 5 , wherein the controller unit is housed within the delivery tool.

11. The system of claim 5 , wherein the controller unit is located in an operating suite and electrically coupled to the electrode via electrical conductors extending through the implant body and the implant arm of the delivery system to electrically couple to the controller unit via a cable extending proximally from the delivery system to the controller unit.

12. The system of claim 5 , wherein the data comprises allothetic sourced state feedback of the electrode.

13. The system of claim 5 , wherein the joint implant further comprises a length disposed between the distal and proximal ends; an inner portion of the joint implant; at least first, second, and third sides, each of the first, second, and third sides extending between the distal and proximal ends; each of the first, second, and third sides comprising a plurality of struts defining a pattern of openings extending between groups of multiple struts of the plurality of struts, the openings extending into the inner portion; wherein the first side is separated from the second side by a first junction, the second side is separated from the third side by a second junction, each the first and second junctions extending the length.

14. The system of claim 5 , wherein the body of the joint implant and the distal end of the implant arm include a cooperatively mating electrical connection that forms a segment of the first electrical conductor pathway.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the cooperatively mating electrical connection includes male-female pin contact assembly.

16. The system of claim 5 , wherein the electrode is at or near the distal end of the body of the joint implant and the body includes an electrically insulative coating or is formed of an electrically nonconductive material.

17. The system of claim 5 , wherein an area directly surrounding the electrode has an electrically insulative coating or is formed of an electrically nonconductive material so as to reduce certain current shunting.

18. The system of claim 5 , wherein the data is a result of a signal comprising an electromyogram.

19. The system of claim 5 , wherein the joint implant further comprises a length disposed between the distal and proximal ends; an inner portion of the joint implant; at least first and second sides, each of the first and second sides extending between the distal and proximal ends; each of the first and second sides comprising a plurality of struts defining a pattern of openings extending between groups of multiple struts of the plurality of struts, the openings extending into the inner portion; wherein the first side is separated from the second side by a first junction, the first junction extending the length.

20. The system of claim 19 , wherein a cross section transverse to the length of the implant is substantially non-circular such that it comprises at least two prominent apices and wherein each apex is comprised of a first and second longitudinal strut each extending generally uninterrupted between the distal and proximal ends of the joint implant.

21. The system of claim 19 , wherein a sequence of a plurality of struts comprises an alternating arrangement such that a first strut in the sequence is diagonal to a longitudinal axis of the joint implant, a second strut in the sequence is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the joint implant, and a third strut in the sequence is diagonal to the l

Assignees

• Jcbd Llc

Inventors

• Donner Edward Jeffrey
• Donner Christopher Thomas

Classifications

• A61F2002/30179

  X-shaped · CPC title

• A61F2/46

  Special tools for implanting artificial joints · CPC title

• A61F2/44

  for the spine, e.g. vertebrae, spinal discs · CPC title

• A61F2/4455

  for the fusion of spinal bodies, e.g. intervertebral fusion of adjacent spinal bodies, e.g. fusion cages (intervertebral discs A61F2/442) · CPC title

• A61F2002/30995

  for sacro-iliac joints · CPC title