Patent ID: 9295396
Filing Date: 2016-03-29
CPC Classification: A61B,A61N

Claim Text:
1. A system for avoiding harm to neural tissue during surgery, comprising: an instrument capable of advancement to a surgical target site and configured to deliver a stimulation signal at least one of while advancing to said target site and after reaching said target site; and a processing system in communication with said instrument and programmed to perform a plurality of neurophysiologic testing functions including at least two of static pedicle integrity testing, dynamic pedicle integrity testing, nerve proximity detection, neuromuscular pathway assessment, manual motor evoked potential monitoring, automatic motor evoked potential monitoring, somatosensory evoked potential monitoring, non-evoked monitoring, and surgical navigation; said processing system programmed with a plurality of pre-established testing profiles corresponding to one or more of a specific surgical procedure and a specific spinal region being operated upon; wherein selection of a pre-established profile dictates which of the neurophysiologic testing functions are available for selection and sets specific test parameters associated with the available neurophysiologic testing functions so as to facilitate the initiation of said at least one neurophysiologic testing function; said processing system further programmed with a set of at least three threshold ranges and configured to direct a first stimulation signal to said instrument at a first magnitude corresponding to a boundary between a pair of said ranges, direct a second stimulation signal at a second magnitude corresponding to a boundary between a different pair of said ranges, and to measure at least one response of nerves depolarized stimulation signals by said stimulation signals to indicate at least one of nerve proximity and pedicle integrity.