Bone Screw Head Flexible Elements Locking Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current bone screw systems are cumbersome and tedious to manipulate during surgery, requiring complex multi-component assemblies to achieve the desired angle for secure fixation to bone plates, which can lead to complications such as unintended screw removal and soft tissue damage.
Innovation Solution
The development of bone screws with flexible elements in the screw head that decrease in diameter during insertion and expand post-insertion to provide a positive locking mechanism with the bone plate, allowing for secure fixation and angulation, featuring rotatable locking caps and collapsible finger elements for enhanced stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional multi-component plate assemblies are used to secure bone screws, then the screws can be fixed to bone plates, but the assembly becomes cumbersome and tedious to manipulate during surgery
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the bone screw and bone plate into a single integrated component with interlocking features. The bone screw includes a head with external threading that engages with internal threading in the bone plate, eliminating the need for separate locking mechanisms and multi-component assemblies, thereby simplifying surgical manipulation while maintaining secure fixation
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated bone screw-plate design serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides structural support, enables secure fixation through interlocking threads, and allows for easy surgical installation. The single component performs what previously required multiple separate components, reducing complexity while maintaining or enhancing fixation reliability
2Reliability
If traditional locking mechanisms are used to prevent screw removal, then screw retention is achieved, but the assembly complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The locking mechanism is merged into the basic screw-plate interface itself. The external threads on the bone screw head engage with internal threads in the bone plate to create a self-locking mechanism, eliminating the need for separate locking components while maintaining secure retention
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using a separate locking mechanism to prevent screw removal, the design inverts the approach by making the screw itself lock into the plate through its head geometry and threading. The screw head's external threads engage the plate's internal threads, creating a retention system that is simpler than traditional locking mechanisms
3Reliability
If bone screws are secured to bone plates with fixed angle relationships, then loosening is reduced, but the ability to achieve desirable screw angles is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The bone screw design incorporates dynamic elements that allow adjustment of the screw angle relative to the plate during insertion. The flexible or articulating connection between the screw shaft and head enables the surgeon to achieve various angulations while maintaining secure fixation once positioned
Solution Approach 2:
The design allows change in the angular parameter of the screw relative to the plate. The screw can be inserted at different angles depending on surgical requirements, with the interlocking mechanism maintaining secure fixation regardless of the specific angle achieved
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 enables a single-step locking mechanism that is both audible, tactile, and visual, preventing screw removal and allowing for flexible angulation without adding thickness to the bone plate, thus simplifying surgical procedures and enhancing fixation security.
Implementation Method 1
the head portion comprises one or more flexible elements for engaging the head portion of the bone screw in a locking arrangement with a bone plate such that the flexible elements decrease the outer diameter of the head portion during insertion into a bone plate and allow the head portion to lock to the bone plate
Data Source
AI summary
The invention encompasses a bone screw for use in the human body including a shaft having a threaded region along at least a portion of its length and a screw head including a locking mechanism to secure the screw, for example to a bone plate. In certain embodiments, the thread has an outer diameter dimensioned to pass through the screw hole in the implant. The screw head is configured to cooperatively engage at least a portion of the screw hole of the implant so as to prevent the screw from coming out of the implant and avoided soft tissue damage and other complications associated with unintended screw removal.