Collapsible Lateral Spine Plate for Minimally Invasive Fusion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional lateral spine plates used in spinal fusion surgeries are large, leading to increased surgical trauma due to their high profile, which is undesirable in minimally invasive procedures.
Innovation Solution
A collapsible/folding lateral spine plate design with pivotally connected attachment arms that can be collapsed for insertion and expanded for secure attachment to vertebrae, allowing for a lower profile during implantation and adjustable positioning relative to the interbody cage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If traditional lateral spine plates are used, then secure attachment to vertebrae is achieved, but surgical trauma increases due to high profile
Solution Approach 1:
The spine plate employs collapsible attachment arms that can transition between extended and collapsed states. During implantation, the arms are collapsed to minimize profile height and surgical trauma. After positioning, the arms are extended to provide full attachment capability to the vertebrae, thus resolving the contradiction between low profile during insertion and secure attachment during operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The spine plate is divided into a main body and separate collapsible attachment arms. This segmentation allows the attachment arms to be independently collapsed during implantation to reduce overall profile height, while still maintaining the ability to extend and secure to vertebrae after positioning, thereby reducing surgical trauma while ensuring secure attachment.
2Length of moving object
If collapsible attachment arms are used, then profile height is reduced for insertion, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment arms are designed with a collapsible mechanism that allows transition between extended and collapsed states. This dynamic capability enables the device to have a low profile during insertion while maintaining full functional capability after implantation, accepting increased device complexity as a trade-off for reduced surgical trauma.
3Strength
If attachment arms are extended for securement, then attachment strength is improved, but profile height increases
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment arms transition from a collapsed state during implantation to an extended state after positioning. In the extended state, the arms provide maximum attachment strength for securing the spine plate to the vertebrae, while in the collapsed state, they minimize profile height to reduce surgical trauma during insertion.
Solution Approach 2:
The spine plate structure separates the main body from the collapsible attachment arms, allowing the arms to be extended for securement to improve attachment strength while the collapsed configuration during insertion reduces profile height, thus resolving the contradiction between attachment strength and profile height at different stages.
Data Source
AI summary
A lateral spine implant has a lateral spine cage and an associated lateral spine plate with one or more folding vertebral attachment arms, each arm configured for attachment to vertebral bone. The ability of the one or more arms to fold allows the lateral spine plate to be inserted/implanted at a lower profile height than traditional lateral spine plates. The lateral spine plate is meant to be used at times of intended or unintended compromise of the anterior longitudinal ligament (ALL) to prevent interbody cage migration, but may be adapted for any lateral plating application. Once expanded, each attachment arm is configured to receive a bone screw for securing the attachment arm to a vertebra, the bone screw retained by rotating cam lock nuts of the attachment arm.