Abstract: A discectomy method entails removing at least a portion of a spinal lamina to form an access path in a patient. A surgical instrument is inserted along the path and a distal end of the instrument is placed in operative contact with herniated or bulging disc material of a spinal disc. The instrument is operated to remove the herniated or bulging disc material, to thereby space a remaining portion of the spinal disc from spinal nerves. A tip of an ultrasonic surgical probe is then placed into contact with an outer surface of the remaining portion of the spinal disc, and an ultrasonic mechanical standing wave generated in the probe while maintaining the operative tip in contact with the outer surface to harden the wall surface and thereby reduce chances of disc herniation at the outer surface.

Abstract: An elongate ultrasonic dissector-shaver probe has a laterally enlarged head extending distally and transversely from a distal end of a shaft and provided with sets of spiraling ribs. In a disc space preparation procedure, the probe is inserted into a spinal disc between two vertebral endplates, ultrasonic vibratory energy is conducted into the probe, and the probe is manipulated to move the laterally enlarged head in three spatial directions within the spinal disc to thereby disrupt and shred the spinal disc material into fragments extracted from the space, in part by suction and in part by using forceps to pull spinal disc fragments from the operative space or surgical site between the vertebral endplates.

Abstract: A surgical method utilizes a surgical instrument having an elongate probe with a distal end having at least one egress or outlet port. The method comprises inserting a distal end portion of the elongate probe into a spinal disc space adjacent two spinal vertebrae, ejecting or streaming a plasma jet from the at least one egress or outlet port into spinal disc material in the spinal disc space, and subsequently removing the elongate probe from the spinal disc space.

Abstract: A two phase method for reducing the formation of biofilm includes an evacuation of ambient air from a region about the surgical or treatment site, to extract airborne or aerosolized bacteria ejected from the site by the treatment. The extracted bacteria are prevented from settling back onto the cleansed tissue surface, thus at least reducing colonial bacteriological growth and concomitantly exuded biofilm material. A second phase involves the attachment of one or more ultrasonic transducers to the patient over or near a surgical treatment site after the surgery is terminated. Each applied ultrasonic transducer is used to vibrate the patient's tissues at the treatment site to disrupt biofilm formation.

Abstract: An ultrasonic therapeutic apparatus includes a handle, a horn or concentrator section terminating in an operative tip, and a transducer assembly set disposed in the handle and operatively engaged with the horn or concentrator section for generating ultrasonic mechanical vibrations therein to vibrate the operative tip during contact thereof with target tissue at a surgical site in a patient. An electrical waveform generator is operatively connected to the transducer assembly for energizing the transducer assembly set with one or more predetermined time reversal ultrasonic waveforms that, upon being applied to the transducer assembly set, result in respective predetermined patterns of motion of the operative tip.

Abstract: A surgical system for transecting osseous tissue includes an ultrasonic waveform generator, a control unit, an ultrasonic instrument assembly including a electromechanical transducer and an ultrasonic blade, and a robotic system. The ultrasonic instrument assembly is attached to the robotic arm. The surgical system is configured so that the robotic arm moves the ultrasonic blade at a constant forward feed speed through the bone during a cutting operation and so that the forward motion is reduced, and preferably halted automatically upon a reduction in load per unit time or applied power, as monitored by a pickup or sensor.

Abstract: In a surgical method, an elongate probe is inserted into a spinal disc exemplarily into a nucleus pulposus thereof in a direction generally parallel to vertebral end faces adjacent to the spinal disc. During the inserting of the elongate probe, the probe is ultrasonically vibrated. Thereafter, while ultrasonically vibrating the elongate probe, one moves the elongate probe to sever a prismatic portion of the spinal disc including a prismatic section of the nucleus pulposus. The prismatic portion of the spinal disc is removed from a remaining portion of the spinal disc.

Abstract: An ultrasonic surgical instrument comprises a cylindrical shaft and a blade at a distal or free end of the shaft, the blade being unitary and continuous with the shaft, without an intervening joint. The shaft has a longitudinal axis and the blade includes a flat or planar blade body with a proximal end eccentrically disposed relative to the shaft axis. Thus, the blade body or at least a proximal end portion thereof is disposed eccentrically relative to the shaft. The blade in its entirely may be inclined relative to the shaft axis or extend parallel thereto.

Abstract: An ultrasonic surgical probe has an elongate shaft and a probe head that is enlarged to extend laterally or transversely in two opposed directions relative to the shaft The head is formed with a recess or cavity facing laterally in a third direction relative to the shaft and the axis. Where the head lies in a plane, owing to its lateral enlargement or extension, the recess or cavity faces in a direction perpendicular to that plane. The recess or cavity is defined in part by an inclined floor or base surface contiguous at a proximal end with the shaft. The recess or cavity is defined in part by a peripheral wall extending only partway around the recess or cavity, along a distal side and two lateral sides thereof. The cavity or recess is closed on a proximal side by the inclined surface and the shaft.