US 12,279,787 B2
Spinal surgery method
Dilantha B. Ellegala, Paradise Valley, AZ (US)
Assigned to Misonix, LLC, Farmingdale, NY (US)
Filed by Misonix, LLC, Farmingdale, NY (US)
Filed on Jan. 26, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/158,596.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/982,503, filed on Feb. 27, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2021/0267622 A1, Sep. 2, 2021
Int. Cl. A61B 17/32 (2006.01); A61B 17/00 (2006.01)
CPC A61B 17/320068 (2013.01) [A61B 2017/00261 (2013.01); A61B 2017/320004 (2013.01); A61B 2017/32007 (2017.08); A61B 2017/320082 (2017.08); A61B 2017/320084 (2013.01)] 6 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A discectomy method, comprising:
removing, by operating an ultrasonic abrading or incising instrument, at least a portion of a spinal lamina to form an access path in a patient;
inserting an ultrasonic surgical instrument along said path so that a distal end of said ultrasonic surgical instrument is operatively engageable with herniated or bulging material of a spinal disc;
operating said ultrasonic surgical instrument to remove the herniated or bulging disc material, to thereby space a remaining portion of said spinal disc from spinal nerves, the operating of the ultrasonic surgical instrument to remove the herniated or bulging disc material including feeding irrigation fluid and applying suction to the distal end of the ultrasonic surgical instrument during the removal of the herniated or bulging disc material;
placing an operating tip of an ultrasonic surgical probe into contact with an outer surface of the remaining portion of said spinal disc; and
generating an ultrasonic mechanical standing wave in said ultrasonic surgical probe while maintaining said operating tip in contact with said outer surface to harden said outer surface and thereby reduce chances of disc herniation at said outer surface,
the generating of the ultrasonic mechanical standing wave in the ultrasonic surgical probe being carried out at an ultrasonic vibratory power sufficiently low to avoid significant damage to the spinal disc, with minimal or no irrigation fluid and little or no suction, and with substantially less irrigation fluid and substantially less suction than that fed or applied during the operating of the ultrasonic surgical instrument,
the ultrasonic surgical instrument, the ultrasonic surgical probe, and the ultrasonic abrading or incising instrument being different from each other.