Fiber-Optic Pedicle Probes to Advance Spine Surgery through Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy

Fiber-Optic Pedicle Probes to Advance Spine Surgery through Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy

Losch, M.S. (TU Delft Medical Instruments & Bio-Inspired Technology)
Heintz, J.D. (Student TU Delft)
Edström, Erik (Karolinska Institutet; Capio Spine Center)
Terander, Adrian Elmi (Karolinska Institutet; Capio Spine Center)
Dankelman, J. (TU Delft Medical Instruments & Bio-Inspired Technology)
Hendriks, B.H.W. (TU Delft Medical Instruments & Bio-Inspired Technology)

2024

Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy (DRS) can provide tissue feedback for pedicle screw placement in spine surgery, yet the integration of fiber optics into the tip of the pedicle probe, a device used to pierce through bone, is challenging, since the optical probing depth and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) are affected negatively compared to those of a blunt DRS probe. Through Monte Carlo simulations and optical phantom experiments, we show how differences in the shape of the instrument tip influence the acquired spectrum. Our findings demonstrate that a single bevel with an angle of 30∘ offers a solution to anticipate cortical breaches during pedicle screw placement. Compared to a blunt probe, the optical probing depth and SNR of a cone tip are reduced by 50%. The single bevel tip excels with 75% of the optical probing depth and a SNR remaining at approximately ⅔, facilitating the construction of a surgical instrument with integrated DRS.

Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy
spine surgery
breach detection
fiber optics
probe design

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:6ea5060c-1f83-471c-9473-68a32fcf26ee

https://doi.org/10.3390/bioengineering11010061

Bioengineering, 11 (1)

Institutional Repository

journal article

© 2024 M.S. Losch, J.D. Heintz, Erik Edström, Adrian Elmi Terander, J. Dankelman, B.H.W. Hendriks