This invention relates to surgical methods and, more particularly, to methods used to facilitate revision surgery implicating vulnerable anatomical parts.
Spinal disorders requiring surgical procedures are well known. The lumbar region of the human anatomy, for example, is a frequent site of spinal disorders which may be corrected by surgical procedures carried out anteriorly of the lumbar vertebrae including, for example, surgical procedures involving disc removal and/or replacement.
In anterior spinal surgical procedures, the initial surgery is through an unscarred and substantially clear path to the surgical site. In revision surgery, however, the path to the surgical site has typically degraded as a result of the previous surgery resulting in scarring and other developments which may interfere with the revision surgery.
Moreover, the present technology in spinal surgeries is typically focused on anterior insertion of intervertebral prostheses, and other anterior surgical procedures. Consequently, the potential of anterior dislocation of prostheses and vertebral structures as well as potential injury to the significant blood vessels located in proximity to the spine is increased.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,475,219 issued to Alexis P. Shelekov on Nov. 5, 2002, addressed the aforementioned conditions. The '219 patent, the teachings of which are herein incorporated by reference, discloses a method and device for protecting major vessels and other anatomical parts from complications as a consequence of anterior spinal surgical procedures. In particular, the '219 patent discloses a method for protecting major blood vessels, such as the aorta and the vena cava, and providing some protection against anterior dislocation of vertebral bodies adjacent these vessels. The '219 patent also provides for minimizing the formation of adhesions or unwanted joining of certain tissues and body structures to each other pursuant to anterior spinal surgery.
The '219 patent provides a significant improvement in protection of vulnerable anatomical parts in areas subject to revision surgery. Nonetheless, a need exists for a device which further simplifies revision surgeries, particularly in the area of vulnerable body parts. It would be advantageous if the device facilitated location of the targeted surgical area. Moreover, it would be beneficial if the device could be conveniently interposed between the spinal column and anatomical parts, particularly, major blood vessels such as the aorta and the vena cava, so that the anatomical parts are protected during a surgical procedure and/or are not subject to the development of adhesions or tissue which may produce complications during revision surgery.
A protective system and method is disclosed. In accordance with one method according to the invention, a patient is prepared for a first surgical procedure. A first incision is made through the skin of the patient in accordance with the first surgical procedure and a target area for the first surgical procedure is exposed through the first incision. A step of the first surgical procedure is then performed on the target area for the first surgical procedure. Thereafter, a protective pad with a fluid pocket is placed between a vulnerable anatomical part and the target area for the first surgical procedure and the first incision is closed in accordance with the first surgical procedure with the protective pad between the vulnerable anatomical part and the target area.
In one embodiment, a protective system for facilitating revision surgery includes a protective pad with a base portion of biocompatible material and an overlying portion of biocompatible material spaced apart from the base, the base portion and the overlying portion forming at least a portion of a fluid pocket. The system further includes at least one bone anchor for affixing the protective pad to a bone.
The above-described features and advantages, as well as others, will become more readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art by reference to the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.
As shown in
The overlying portion 120, the base 110 and the telltale 124 are formed from a flexible biocompatible material or subdermal implant material, such as Silastic brand silicone rubber or similar organosiloxane polymers. The fluid pocket 1 is filled with a biocompatible fluid which may be liquid or gaseous. In one embodiment, carbon dioxide gas is used. Other biologically inert gasses may be used in alternative embodiments. The fluid pocket 122 may be configured to provide a thin layer of fluid between the overlying portion 120 and the base 110 or to provide a more substantial separation between the overlying portion 120 and the base 110 as shown in
The present invention is particularly well suited for use in surgeries on the spinal column of a patient. Referring to
Two of the regions of the spinal column 128 that are most commonly operated on are the lumbar region 134 and the pelvic region 136. In these regions, the area including lumbar L4 138 and lumbar L5 140 and the area including lumbar L5 140 and the sacrum 142 are the areas to which most spinal operations are directed.
One surgical approach that is used when performing a surgical procedure on the above described areas is identified as the Pararectal Retroperitoneal Approach. In this approach, which may be used for procedures such as a disc removal or disc prosthesis installation, the skin of the patient is incised in a curved line over the lateral border of the rectus muscle of the patient. Through this incision, the prevertebral space of the patient is exposed.
The vena cava 146, the common iliac veins 148 and 150 and their respective branches, the abdominal aorta 152, and the common iliac arteries 154 and 156 and their respective branches are anterior to, and generally co-linear with, the spinal column 128 as shown in
The blood vessels and surrounding tissue exhibit sufficient flexibility and looseness for the amount of retraction required to access areas using the Pararectal Retroperitoneal Approach during an initial surgery on a target area. After the initial surgery, however, scar tissue and/or adhesions may form about the surgical path and restrict the flexibility and looseness of the anatomical parts around the path to and in the area of the target area. To facilitate a revision surgery in the same area as the index surgery, a protective pad may be used to reduce complications resulting from scar tissue and/or adhesions. Preferably, the protective pad is attached to the spinal column 128 during the initial surgical operation. More preferably, the protective pad is attached after a procedure has been conducted on a target area and before the blood vessels or other anatomical parts are released from a retracted position.
In this configuration, the base 176 of the protective pad 158 is located adjacent to the spinal column 128 and an overlying, portion 178 and a fluid pocket 180 are located beneath the vena cava 146 and the abdominal aorta 152 of the patient as shown in
The telltale 182 extends away from the protective pad 158 and includes a marker 184 which may be similar to the marker 125 of
Accordingly, during a revision surgery on or near the targeted area of the first procedure, radiography is used to identify the location of the marker 184 on the telltale 182. Then, after preparing the incision area in accordance with a proper surgical protocol, an incision in the skin of the patient is made and the telltale 182 is located based upon the radiography. In this embodiment, the telltale 182 is shown attached to the base 176. Alternatively, the telltale 182 may be attached to the overlying portion 178. In the event the telltale 182 does not interfere with the remaining steps of the surgical procedure, the telltale 182 may remain attached to the patient. Alternatively, if the telltale 182 is attached to the overlying portion 178 or will interfere with ensuing steps, the telltale 182 is detached from the patient.
In either event, the surgeon then follows the telltale 182 to the protective pad 158. After lysis of adhesions on the portion of the pad 158 on the side opposite the direction of desired retraction, a longitudinal incision 186 is made through the overlying portion 178 along a line adjacent to the vena cava 146 or the abdominal aorta 152 as shown in
The overlying portion 178 may then be manipulated to retract the adjacent blood vessel away from the longitudinal incision 186 allowing a transverse incision 188 to be made in the overlying portion 178 at one end of the protective pad 158 and another transverse incision 190 along the opposite end of the protective pad 158. The longitudinal incision 186 and the transverse incisions 1.88 and 190 form a leaf 192.
Once the leaf 192 is sufficiently formed, a retractor is placed through the longitudinal incision 186 and into the fluid pocket 180. The retractor is used to move the leaf 192 in a direction away from the longitudinal incision 186. If needed, any of the incisions may be further extended during retraction. As shown in
As stated above, when using the Pararectal Retroperitoneal Approach in the area about the lumbar L5 140 and the sacrum 142, the common iliac vein 148 and the common iliac artery 154 are spread apart from the common iliac vein 150 and the common iliac artery 156. Accordingly, it is desirable to form two different leaves from the protective pad, one leaf for each set of blood vessels. The protective pad 158 may be used in this setting with appropriate modification of the location of the longitudinal cut to a central area and using transverse cuts to form two leaves. An alternative protective pad that may be used is the protective pad 200 shown in
The protective pad 200 has a generally rectangular base 202 with four fastener holes 204, 206208 and 210 located at each of the four corners. An overlying, portion 212 is attached to the base 202 so as to define a fluid pocket 214 (see
The protective pad 200 is implanted on a bone such as the spinal column 128 following essentially the same steps set forth above with respect to the protective pad 158. The procedure for performing, a revision surgery in the vicinity of the implanted protective pad 200 is the same as the method set forth above with respect to protective pad 158 until the telltale 224 is followed to the protective pad 200.
The protective pad 200 is configured such that when it is implanted in the area of the lumbar L5 140 and the sacrum 142, the common iliac vein 148 and the common iliac artery 154 are spaced apart from the common iliac vein 150 and the common iliac artery 156 by the plough shaped fluid pocket 214 as shown in
The area about the protective pad 200 is then prepared for retraction of the blood vessels. In a preferred approach, a longitudinal incision 228 is made through the overlying portion 212 along a line between the narrow end portion 216 and the wide end portion 222. Typically, the longitudinal incision 228 will be made approximately along the centerline of the overlying portion 212. Depending on the conditions for a particular patient, the location of the incision may be adjusted to one side or the other. Transverse incisions 230 and 232 are made along the wide end portion 222. Of course, the order of the incisions may be modified. The longitudinal incision 228 and the transverse incisions 230 and 232 form leafs 234 and 236.
Once a leaf is sufficiently formed, a retractor (not shown) is placed through the longitudinal incision 228 and into the fluid pocket 214. The retractor is used to move one of the leafs 234 or 236 in a direction away from the longitudinal incision 228. As shown in
If desired, a second retractor (not shown) may be used to move the other of the leafs 234 or 236 in a direction opposite of the direction of the first retraction. Thus, as shown in
While the present invention has been illustrated by the description of exemplary processes and system components, and while the various processes and components have been described in considerable detail, applicant does not intend to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. Additional advantages and modifications will also readily appear to those ordinarily skilled in the art. The invention in its broadest aspects is therefore not limited to the specific details, implementations, or illustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departing from the spirit or scope of applicant's general inventive concept.
This application is a divisional of application Ser. No. 11/601,900, filed on Nov. 20, 2006 (now U.S. Pat. No. 8,114,159), the disclosure of which is hereby totally incorporated by reference in its entirety.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20120136401 A1 | May 2012 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 11601900 | Nov 2006 | US |
Child | 13366336 | US |