Articulating Cement Delivery Pipe for Vertebral Body Injection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing surgical devices for injecting cement into bone cavities require the operator to rotate the needle within a plane, limiting movement and making it impractical to distribute cement uniformly due to a fixed cement supply pipe, which can be cumbersome in a surgical environment.
Innovation Solution
A surgical device with a movably mounted entry plug and an articulating cement delivery pipe allows for greater freedom of movement, enabling the surgeon to rotate the cement delivery point without repositioning the cement supply, improving operational efficiency and maneuverability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the needle is made curvable to allow navigation within the vertebral body, then direct access to the entire vertebral body is achieved, but the operator must rotate the needle inside the vertebral body to spread cement uniformly, which limits freedom of movement
Solution Approach 1:
The cement supply pipe is made articulating instead of fixed, allowing it to dynamically adjust its position and orientation as the needle is rotated or repositioned. This dynamic flexibility resolves the contradiction by enabling both precise navigation and unrestricted operator movement, as the pipe can adapt to changing orientations without constraining the needle's rotation.
Solution Approach 2:
The pipe's articulation allows changes in its spatial parameters (angle, orientation, position) relative to the needle. This parameter flexibility enables the pipe to maintain proper alignment with the needle while the needle rotates, solving the contradiction between navigation precision and operational freedom.
2Device complexity
If the cement supply pipe is connected fixedly to the needle at a right angle, then structural simplicity is achieved, but the operator must change position around the patient to rotate the needle, which is unpractical in a surgery room
Solution Approach 1:
The articulating pipe replaces the fixed right-angle connection with a dynamic, flexible connection that can adapt to various orientations. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining relatively simple device structure while dramatically improving operator mobility, as the surgeon can rotate the needle without being constrained by a rigid pipe configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The articulating pipe acts as a flexible conduit that can bend and rotate, replacing the rigid fixed connection. This flexible design allows the pipe to accommodate needle rotation and repositioning without requiring the operator to change position, thus resolving the contradiction between structural simplicity and operational ease.
3Manufacturing precision
If the needle is rotated to spread cement in all directions, then uniform cement distribution is achieved, but the fixed pipe connection constrains the rotation movement
Solution Approach 1:
The articulating pipe provides dynamic adaptability that allows the needle to rotate freely for uniform cement distribution. The pipe's flexibility ensures it can accommodate any rotation angle, resolving the contradiction between achieving uniform distribution and maintaining rotation freedom.
Data Source
AI summary
A surgical device and method for injecting cement in a bone cavity includes an elongated, hollow body to be inserted partially into the cavity. The body has an inner lumen with a distal opening to expel cement therefrom. An entry plug for the cement is connected to a cement pressurized supply. The entry plug is in fluid communication with the lumen to deliver cement through the entry plug, wherein the entry plug is movably mounted on the hollow body.