Interbody tool, systems, and methods

Abstract

An interbody tool may include an upper portion with an upper contact surface and a plurality of upper legs; a lower portion with a lower contact surface and a plurality of lower legs, each of the lower legs moveably connected to one of the upper legs; a plurality of gauges, each gauge configured to measure a position of one of the plurality of upper legs relative to a corresponding one of the plurality of lower legs; at least one actuator configured to selectively push the upper portion away from the lower portion; and at least one sensor for measuring a force exerted by the at least one actuator.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An interbody tool, comprising:
 an upper portion comprising an upper contact surface and a plurality of upper legs;   a lower portion comprising a lower contact surface and a plurality of lower legs, each of the lower legs moveably connected to one of the upper legs;   a plurality of gauges, each gauge configured to measure a position of one of the plurality of upper legs relative to a corresponding one of the plurality of lower legs;   at least one actuator configured to selectively push the upper portion away from the lower portion; and   at least one sensor for measuring a force exerted by the at least one actuator.   
     
     
         2 . The interbody tool of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of upper legs comprises three upper legs. 
     
     
         3 . The interbody tool of  claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of upper legs is connected to the upper portion via a joint. 
     
     
         4 . The interbody tool of  claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of gauges is an encoder. 
     
     
         5 . The interbody tool of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one actuator is configured to selectively adjust a distance between the upper contact surface and the lower contact surface from about 6 mm to about 18 mm. 
     
     
         6 . The interbody tool of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one actuator comprises a hydraulic actuator and the at least one sensor comprises a pressure sensor. 
     
     
         7 . The interbody tool of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one actuator comprises a plurality of independently operable hydraulic actuators and the at least one sensor comprises a plurality of pressure sensors. 
     
     
         8 . The interbody tool of  claim 1 , wherein at least the plurality of upper legs, the plurality of lower legs, and the plurality of gauges are contained within a housing. 
     
     
         9 . The interbody tool of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a processor; and   a memory storing instructions for execution by the processor, that, when executed, cause the processor to:
 deactivate the at least one actuator when the force, as measured by the at least one sensor, reaches a predetermined threshold. 
   
     
     
         10 . The surgical system of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one actuator comprises a plurality of actuators, each positioned proximate one of the plurality of upper legs and a corresponding one of the plurality of lower legs. 
     
     
         11 . The surgical system of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one actuator comprises a scissor jack. 
     
     
         12 . A method of measuring an interbody space, comprising:
 inserting an interbody tool having an upper contact surface and a lower contact surface into an interbody space;   activating at least one actuator of the interbody tool to expand a distance between the upper contact surface and the lower contact surface;   monitoring, with a sensor, a characteristic of the at least one actuator;   deactivating the at least one actuator when the characteristic reaches a predetermined threshold; and   receiving information from a plurality of gauges positioned at a plurality of points between the upper contact surface and the lower contact surface about a distance between the upper contact surface and the lower contact surface at each of the plurality of points.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the at least one actuator comprises a hydraulic actuator, and the characteristic comprises a hydraulic pressure. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the inserting comprises causing a robotic arm to insert the interbody tool into the interbody space. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , further comprising:
 selecting an interbody implant based on the received information; and   inserting the selected interbody implant into the interbody space using the robotic arm.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the at least one actuator is configured to selectively adjust a distance between the upper contact surface and the lower contact surface at each of the plurality of points. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the interbody space is positioned between two vertebrae of a spine, and the activating causes a change in at least one of a coronal alignment or a sagittal alignment of the spine. 
     
     
         18 . An interbody measurement system comprising:
 an interbody tool comprising:
 an upper portion comprising an upper contact surface; 
 a lower portion comprising a lower contact surface; 
 at least one actuator configured to selectively adjust a distance between the upper contact surface and the lower contact surface; and 
 at least one sensor for measuring a characteristic of the at least one actuator; 
   at least one processor; and   at least one memory storing instructions for execution by the at least one processor that, when executed, cause the at least one processor to:
 receive data corresponding to the characteristic from the at least one sensor; and 
 determine whether to de-activate the at least one actuator based on the data. 
   
     
     
         19 . The interbody measurement system of  claim 18 , wherein the interbody tool further comprises a plurality of gauges positioned at a plurality of points between the upper contact surface and the lower contact surface, and the at least one memory stores additional instructions for execution by the processor that, when executed, further cause the processor to:
 receive, from the plurality of gauges, information about a distance between the upper contact surface and the lower contact surface at each of the plurality of points.   
     
     
         20 . The interbody measurement system of  claim 18 , the at least one memory stores additional instructions for execution by the processor that, when executed, further cause the processor to:
 select an implant based on the information about the distance between the upper contact surface and the lower contact surface at each of the plurality of points; and   update a global alignment plan based on the selected implant.