Intervertebral Disk Prosthesis with Asymmetric Saline Compartments
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing intervertebral disk prostheses fail to provide a heterogeneous response to heterogeneous pressure, cannot withstand high pressures, and have inadequate deformation kinetics, leading to potential damage and the need for costly and invasive surgical procedures.
Innovation Solution
A multilayered deformable casing with a peripheral partition membrane and vertical walls that partition the inner cavity into compartments filled with a non-toxic saline solution, allowing fluid circulation and pressure distribution, and equipped with pressure sensors for monitoring.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If existing prosthesis are made of deformable chamber filled with liquid or gel, then they can absorb pressure applied during deformation, but the kinetics to absorb deformation and return to initial shape is not satisfactory
Solution Approach 1:
The prosthesis is divided into multiple compartments separated by vertical walls with orifices, allowing independent fluid circulation between compartments. This segmentation enables controlled pressure distribution and improves deformation kinetics by allowing progressive fluid flow between compartments rather than requiring the entire chamber to deform simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the prosthesis have different properties through the compartmentalized structure. The orifices in vertical walls create localized fluid flow paths that can be optimized for specific deformation patterns, allowing the prosthesis to respond differently to pressure applied at different locations and times.
2Device complexity
If regular prosthesis allow only homogeneous response, then they are simple in structure, but they cannot handle heterogeneous pressure application and may damage vertebrae
Solution Approach 1:
The prosthesis is divided into multiple compartments separated by vertical walls with orifices, allowing independent fluid circulation between compartments. This segmentation enables controlled pressure distribution and improves deformation kinetics by allowing progressive fluid flow between compartments rather than requiring the entire chamber to deform simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The vertical walls and orifices are positioned asymmetrically within the prosthesis to create non-uniform fluid flow paths. This asymmetric design allows the prosthesis to respond differently to pressure applied at different locations, mimicking the heterogeneous pressure distribution that occurs in natural intervertebral disks during movement and loading.
3Strength
If prosthesis are made with metallic structures to contact vertebrae, then they provide structural support, but metallic structures form cations over time which are cancerogenic
Solution Approach 1:
The harmful metallic structures are completely removed from the prosthesis design. Instead of using metal components to contact vertebrae, the invention employs a fully biocompatible deformable casing filled with physiological saline solution, eliminating the source of cancerogenic cations while maintaining structural support through fluid pressure.
Solution Approach 2:
The prosthesis uses biocompatible, non-metallic materials that can be safely absorbed or replaced without causing long-term harm. The deformable casing and saline solution fillings are chosen for their biocompatibility, allowing the device to be disposed of or replaced without risking cancerogenic effects from metallic degradation.
4Strength
If prosthesis are of large size to withstand high pressure, then they can handle heavy loads, but they require setup through the belly requiring two surgeons making surgery expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The prosthesis uses hydraulic principles with physiological saline solution filling the compartments to withstand and distribute high pressures. The fluid-filled design allows the prosthesis to handle heavy loads through pressure distribution rather than requiring large solid structural components, enabling a more compact size that can be implanted through less invasive procedures.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides a responsive and durable prosthesis that mimics natural intervertebral disk mechanics, withstanding high pressures and allowing for controlled fluid circulation, reducing the risk of damage and invasive surgery, while ensuring biocompatibility and safety.
Implementation Method 1
the vertical walls comprise orifices and/or porous membranes configured to induce the saline solution to flow from one cavity compartment toward another upon heterogeneous application of a pressure
Implementation Method 2
the kinetics to absorb the deformation and to return to its initial shape when the pressure is suppressed
Implementation Method 3
the fibrous ring can withstand high compressive forces
Data Source
AI summary
Intervertebral disk prosthesis comprising an external waterproof multilayered deformable casing surrounding a peripheral partition membrane delimiting an outer space and an inner cavity, wherein the inner cavity is partitioned by vertical walls delimiting at least four cavity compartments configured to be filled with a non-toxic saline solution, and wherein the vertical walls comprise orifices and/or porous membranes configured to induce the saline solution to flow from one cavity compartment toward another upon heterogeneous application of a pressure comprised between 0.05 and 3 MPa in a duration comprised between 10 seconds and 60 minutes, and to revert back to its native compartment upon removal of said pressure in a duration comprised between 10 seconds and 180 minutes, and wherein the walls are distributed asymmetrically in the inner cavity so that a posterior part of the inner cavity comprises fewer and/or larger cavity compartments than an anterior part of the inner cavity.