Bone Plate with Longitudinal Windows for Surgical Visibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing bone plate systems provide limited visibility of the surgical site, making alignment and implantation challenging, while also requiring sufficient strength and rigidity to immobilize bones effectively.
Innovation Solution
A bone plate with a unique geometry featuring laterally adjacent pairs of screw holes with stabilizing struts and longitudinal windows for enhanced visibility, combined with a drill guide device for improved surgical tool alignment and plate installation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If a bone plate with traditional solid geometry is used, then structural strength and rigidity are maintained, but visibility of the surgical site is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The bone plate is segmented with longitudinal windows that divide the plate structure into sections, creating open spaces that expose the underlying surgical site. This segmentation allows surgeons to visualize anatomical structures through the plate itself, eliminating the need for additional visualization tools while maintaining structural integrity through the remaining plate material.
Solution Approach 2:
The bone plate features localized windows positioned at specific regions where surgical site visibility is most needed, rather than making the entire plate transparent or removing large portions. This local quality approach provides targeted visibility while preserving overall plate strength and rigidity in non-critical areas.
2Ease of operation
If windows are added to the bone plate for visibility, then surgical site visualization is improved, but plate strength may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The windows are positioned in the longitudinal dimension of the plate, extending along its length, which allows visibility without compromising the transverse dimension where structural strength is critical. This dimensional approach enables surgeons to see through the plate while the plate maintains its load-bearing capacity in the perpendicular direction.
Solution Approach 2:
The drill guide device serves as a temporary copying structure that replicates the screw hole positions and orientations on the bone plate. This copying mechanism allows for precise alignment and implantation through the windows without requiring the plate itself to be more complex or weaker, as the guidance function is transferred to the removable drill guide.
3Manufacturing precision
If a drill guide device is used for precise alignment, then implantation precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The drill guide device is designed to be positioned and secured to the bone plate before any drilling or screw insertion occurs. This preliminary action establishes the precise alignment and orientation of all subsequent surgical steps, ensuring accurate screw hole placement while keeping the overall system relatively simple through sequential rather than simultaneous complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The drill guide acts as an intermediary device between the bone plate and the drilling/screwing tools. It provides the alignment interface and guidance mechanism without requiring permanent integration into the bone plate structure, allowing for precise implantation while maintaining modularity and reducing the complexity of the permanent implant itself.
Data Source
AI summary
Bone plates and bone plate systems are provided in which a bone plate includes a plurality of bone screw holes formed therein and positioned in laterally adjacent pairs. Positioned between the laterally adjacent pairs of bone screw holes are stabilizing strut. The bone plate system can additionally include windows positioned between longitudinally adjacent struts. Transverse bone screw planes can extend across the superior and inferior edges of the bone screw holes and define the minimum longitudinal boundaries of the windows. A guide device adapted for mating with the bone plate is also disclosed.