Systems and methods for intraoperatively measuring anatomical orientation
Systems and methods are disclosed in which changes in the position and/or orientation of an anatomical structure or of a surgical tool can be measured quantitatively during surgery. In some embodiments, a surgical electronic module can be configured to attach to a surgical device, to continually detect changes in a position and/or orientation of the surgical device during surgery, and to communicate the changes to a user. In this way, where the surgical device is attached to a portion of a patient's anatomy and/or is used to manipulate the patient's anatomy, the surgical electronic module can detect changes in the position and/or orientation of said anatomy. In embodiments where more than one module is used during surgery, the modules can continually detect changes in their positions and/or orientations relative to one another, which correspond to changes in relative positions and/or orientations of the surgical devices to which the modules are attached.
1. A surgical method comprising:
preoperatively determining a desired spinal correction associated with a patient, the desired spinal correction including a desired correction angle; and
performing a surgical procedure comprising:
simultaneously monitoring positions of each of a plurality of vertebrae in real-time using a plurality of sensors coupled to the plurality of vertebrae;
adjusting an angle of the patient's spine to a surgically-corrected angle;
using a processor, comparing the surgically-corrected angle to the desired correction angle via real-time quantitative intraoperative assessment based on data from the plurality of sensors;
implanting an implant in the patient; and
securing spinal fixation hardware to the patient's spine once the patient's spine is adjusted to the desired correction angle.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the desired correction angle is determined using a preoperative patient image.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the desired correction angle is determined using preoperative calculations.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the desired correction angle is a sagittal plane angle between two vertebrae of the patient.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein adjusting the angle of the patient's spine comprises performing an angular correction in the sagittal plane.
6. The method of claim 5 , wherein performing the angular correction comprises removing bone at an osteotomy site.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein said real-time assessment comprises displaying the surgically-corrected angle on an electronic display.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein said real-time assessment comprises displaying correction measurements for a spinal segment on an electronic display.
9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the spinal segment comprises at least one of a lumbar region, a thoracic region, and a cervical region.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein said real-time assessment comprises displaying a graphical depiction of an overall spinal correction on an electronic display.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the surgically-corrected angle is determined using an infrared positioning system.
12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the infrared positioning system detects the position and/or orientation of a module coupled to a pedicle screw implanted in the patient.
13. The method of claim 1 , wherein said real-time assessment comprises displaying positive feedback on an electronic display when a desired correction has been reached.
14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the positive feedback comprises a green indicator displayed on the electronic display.
15. The method of claim 1 , wherein said real-time assessment comprises displaying negative feedback on an electronic display when the correction is outside of a desired range.
16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the negative feedback comprises a red indicator displayed on the electronic display.
17. The method of claim 1 , wherein said real-time assessment comprises displaying a real-time graphical illustration of the movement of one or more modules during the surgical procedure on an electronic display.
18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the one or more modules are coupled to implants implanted in the patient.
19. The method of claim 1 , wherein said real-time assessment comprises displaying a graphical depiction of the surgical procedure in real time.
20. The method of claim 1 , wherein the spinal fixation hardware comprises a spinal rod.
21. The method of claim 1 , further comprising using a patient image to post-operatively assess whether a desired anatomical correction has been achieved.
22. The method of claim 1 , further comprising storing information detected or calculated during the surgical procedure and retrieving said information post-operatively.
23. The method of claim 22 , further comprising creating a reproduction of the surgery using said information.
24. A surgical method comprising:
preoperatively determining a desired spinal correction associated with a patient, the desired spinal correction including a desired correction angle; and
performing a surgical procedure comprising:
simultaneously monitoring positions of each of a plurality of vertebrae in real-time using a plurality of sensors coupled to the plurality of vertebrae;
adjusting an angle of the patient's spine to a surgically-corrected angle;
using a processor, intraoperatively comparing the surgically-corrected angle to the desired correction angle based on data from the plurality of sensors and displaying a green indicator on an electronic display when the surgically-corrected angle matches the desired correction angle;
implanting an implant in the patient; and
securing spinal fixation hardware to the patient's spine once the patient's spine is adjusted to the desired correction angle.