Biodegradable Bone Defect Cap with Ultrasound Welded Fixation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing bone defect coverage methods lack sufficient support and require skilled surgical attachment, often necessitate additional operations for foreign material removal, and involve invasive drilling for implantation.
Innovation Solution
A shape-stable cap with a fixation mechanism, made from biocompatible materials, including biodegradable and absorbable polymers like polylactide, is designed to match the shape of a healthy bone, using CAD/CAM for precise production and ultrasound welding for secure attachment, promoting bone regeneration with surface conditioning for growth.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a flexible covering membrane is used to close off the bone recess, then the recess can be sealed to prevent soft tissue ingrowth, but the membrane lacks support function and requires skilled surgical attachment using attachment nails
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a thin film structure (membrane) to seal the bone recess while preventing soft tissue ingrowth. The membrane is designed to be flexible enough to conform to the recess shape but thin enough to allow bone growth through it, resolving the contradiction between sealing reliability and ease of attachment by maintaining the flexible film approach while improving the attachment mechanism
Solution Approach 2:
The covering device is divided into multiple functional components: the thin film membrane for sealing, attachment nails for fixation, and potentially multiple layers with different properties. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently - the membrane for sealing and the nails for easy attachment - thereby resolving the contradiction between sealing function and attachment ease
2Strength
If a multi-layer non-absorbable covering membrane is used to provide support function, then the membrane provides structural support, but a second operation is required to remove the foreign material after bone healing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from non-absorbable to absorbable/biodegradable. The covering membrane is made from materials that can be absorbed by the body over time, allowing the membrane to provide temporary support during bone healing and then naturally degrade, eliminating the need for a second removal operation while maintaining the support function during the critical healing period
Solution Approach 2:
The covering membrane is designed as a temporary structure that fulfills its support function during bone healing and then is naturally discarded through biodegradation. The body's natural processes recover and eliminate the foreign material without requiring surgical intervention, thus resolving the contradiction between providing support and avoiding additional operations
3Reliability
If a hollow cylindrical or conical cylinder is used as a biodegradable covering, then the structure allows blood take-in and bone growth through openings, but a cylindrical bore must be drilled into the existing bone for insertion
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of creating a bore and then inserting a covering, the patent inverts the approach by designing a covering that can be placed over the existing bone surface without requiring bore creation. The covering conforms to the bone surface and provides the necessary structure for bone growth without the need for invasive drilling, thereby resolving the contradiction between bone growth capability and minimizing invasiveness
4Stability of the object's composition
If an implant socket with gradient structure is used, then the material composition transitions from porous inside to compact outside for stability, but the production method is complex and requires precise control
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating regions with different material properties within the covering device. The membrane has varying thickness and porosity in different areas - thicker and more porous in regions requiring flexibility and bone growth, and thinner or more compact in regions requiring stability. This local differentiation achieves structural stability while simplifying production compared to complex gradient structures
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 stable bone defect coverage without additional support, allows for controlled absorption, and accelerates bone regeneration with precise fit and minimal invasive procedures, reducing the need for secondary operations.
Implementation Method 1
The shape-stable cap is made from biocompatible materials, including biodegradable and absorbable polymers like polylactide
Implementation Method 2
using CAD/CAM for precise production and ultrasound welding for secure attachment
Data Source
AI summary
A device for covering and/or reconstructing a bone defect site and a method for producing a cap of a covering device for a bone defect site, wherein the device for covering and/or reconstructing a bone defect site consists of a cap (moulded shell, rigid shell, shaped body) and of at least one fixing means for fixing the cap on a bone. The cap is distinguished by having a dimensionally stable (rigid) nature, and a wall of the cap directed towards the bone defect or a wall of the cap directed away from the bone defect corresponds to the shape of the regenerated bone.