Adjustable Occipital Plate Fixation for Cervical Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing occipito-cervical fixation techniques face challenges in accommodating varying occipital thickness and providing adequate immobilization before bone fusion, often requiring additional orthosis and potentially weak metal struts.
Innovation Solution
An adjustable occipital plate system comprising a fixation plate, lateral rods, sliding links, and posterior cervical rods, which allows for customizable range of motion and secure locking to adapt to individual anatomy, facilitating posterior rod fixation and bone graft placement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional wire fixation with bone struts is used, then bone fusion can occur, but the struts are weak prior to fusion requiring additional orthosis
Solution Approach 1:
The fixation system is divided into separate components: an occipital plate with multiple holes for bone struts, cervical rods for spinal attachment, and wire fixations. This segmentation allows each component to bear specific loads independently, providing immediate stability without requiring the bone struts to bear the full mechanical burden until fusion occurs.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention combines multiple fixation methods into a single integrated system: bone struts for biological fusion, wires for immediate mechanical fixation, and cervical rods for spinal stabilization. This merging of fixation techniques provides comprehensive stability that eliminates the need for additional orthosis while the bone fusion process occurs.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the occiput is wired in regions of greater thickness, then fixation is achieved, but the device cannot adapt to varying occipital thickness across different patients
Solution Approach 1:
The occipital plate features multiple holes arranged in different patterns and orientations, allowing the surgeon to dynamically select and configure the optimal fixation pattern based on the patient's specific occipital anatomy and thickness. This dynamic adaptability enables the same plate design to accommodate varying occipital dimensions without requiring multiple specialized plates.
Solution Approach 2:
The plate geometry, hole distribution, and wire routing can be adjusted to change the effective fixation parameters according to the measured occipital thickness. By modifying these parameters, the system adapts to different anatomical variations while maintaining fixation reliability.
3Reliability
If multiple metal implants are used for fixation, then stabilization is achieved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The occipital plate serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides the attachment surface for bone struts, serves as an anchor for wire fixations, and interfaces with cervical rods for spinal stabilization. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated implants for each fixation method, thereby reducing overall device complexity while maintaining comprehensive stabilization.
Data Source
AI summary
An adjustable occipital plate includes a fixation plate, at least one lateral rod configured to be coupled to said fixation plate, at least one laterally sliding link configured to be coupled to and configured to be compressed around said at least one lateral rod to create a friction fit, and at least one rod connector coupled to said at least one laterally sliding link that is configured to receive at least one posterior cervical rod.