FRACTURE FRAGMENT MOBILITY TESTING FOR VERTEBRAL BODY PROCEDURES

摘要

A fracture mobility testing system is provided for use in surgical procedures for augmenting vertebral bodies having collapsed due to compression fractures. The testing system is utilized to determine if the cortical shell of the vertebral body has begun to heal over the fracture lines to the point at which height restoration is not possible. Depending on the feedback provided by the testing system, the surgeon may elect to proceed with any of a variety of known height restoration techniques if the fractured portions of the vertebral body are still mobile, or may elect for a simple vertebroplasty procedure without height restoration if the feedback from the testing system determines that the cortical outer portions of the fractured vertebral body have fused to one another to the point at which height restoration is no longer an option.

主权项

1. A method for determining fracture mobility of a bone, comprising:
preparing an expandable balloon for insertion into a bone; capturing and storing a first image of the bone; inserting the expandable balloon into the bone; inflating the balloon with a solution having radiopaque properties; capturing and storing a second image including at least one of the bone and the inflated balloon; determining an amount of fracture height restoration of the bone with the balloon inflated; deflating the balloon; capturing and storing a third image of the bone; determining an amount of fracture height restoration after the balloon has deflated; and determining a repair procedure based on at least one of the amount of fracture height restoration of the bone with the balloon inflated and the amount of fracture height restoration after the balloon has deflated.