Asymmetrical Artificial Disc Nucleus for Spinal Alignment Correction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current artificial cervical disc replacement systems fail to maintain normal spinal alignment and biomechanics, leading to issues like kyphosis and adjacent segment disease due to lack of mechanical constraints that allow for deformity correction and sustainable alignment.
Innovation Solution
An artificial disc with an asymmetrical nucleus having a non-central maximum vertical axis and flattened sections for lordotic or kyphotic correction, combined with end plates that allow for adjustable keels and material deformation to maintain spinal alignment and motion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional artificial disc replacement systems are used, then the disc space is maintained, but spinal alignment deformities (kyphosis, lordosis) cannot be corrected and adjacent segment disease develops
Solution Approach 1:
The nucleus is designed with an asymmetrical shape featuring a non-central maximum vertical axis, allowing it to provide lordotic or kyphotic correction by deforming against the end plate keels. This asymmetrical geometry enables the nucleus to sustain corrective forces and maintain altered spinal alignment, directly resolving the contradiction between maintaining reliability and enabling deformity correction.
Solution Approach 2:
The nucleus incorporates deformable material that can dynamically adjust its shape under load, deforming against the keels to provide sustainable correction. This dynamic deformation capability allows the device to adapt to corrective forces while maintaining spinal alignment, bridging the gap between static alignment maintenance and active deformity correction.
2Ease of manufacture
If the nucleus is made symmetrical with central maximum vertical axis, then manufacturing is simple, but deformity correction and sustainable alignment are not achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The nucleus deliberately employs asymmetrical geometry with a non-central maximum vertical axis to achieve precise alignment correction. This design trades some manufacturing complexity for the ability to provide accurate lordotic or kyphotic correction, resolving the contradiction between ease of manufacture and alignment precision.
3Ease of operation
If the nucleus is made perfectly spherical, then it allows free motion in all directions, but it cannot provide sustainable deformity correction
Solution Approach 1:
The nucleus combines near-spherical geometry for smooth motion with a deliberately positioned non-central maximum vertical axis. This asymmetrical feature creates a preferred deformation direction against the keels, enabling sustainable deformity correction while preserving natural spinal kinematics, thus resolving the contradiction between motion freedom and correction stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The nucleus exhibits local quality variations through its asymmetrical shape, with the non-central maximum vertical axis creating localized deformation zones. This allows different regions of the nucleus to serve different functions: the overall spherical shape enables motion while the localized asymmetrical feature provides sustainable correction, resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and reliability.
4Reliability
If spinal fusion is performed, then motion is eliminated at the surgical level, but adjacent segment disease develops due to increased strain
Solution Approach 1:
The nucleus provides self-service through its ability to autonomously provide deformity correction and maintain spinal alignment through material deformation against the keels. This self-correcting capability eliminates the need for fusion while maintaining stability, preventing adjacent segment disease by preserving natural motion distribution.
Solution Approach 2:
The nucleus utilizes material deformation as a mechanism to change the mechanical parameters of the spinal segment. By deforming against the keels, the nucleus dynamically adjusts alignment parameters while maintaining stability, offering an alternative to fusion that prevents adjacent segment disease.
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 sustainable correction of spinal deformities while preserving natural kinematics, reducing the incidence of adjacent segment disease and allowing for easier revision and insertion, maintaining spinal alignment and motion.
Implementation Method 1
The nucleus is formed of a resilient material and is shaped so that it deforms against the keels to provide lordotic or kyphotic correction
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to methods and devices for the treatment of disc disease and spinal deformities with an artificial disc replacement.