Differential Compression Bone Screw for Plate-Free Fusion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing bone fusion procedures often require a bone plate implant, which can be impractical for certain body regions, necessitating a compression bone screw that can fuse bones without a fusion bone plate.
Innovation Solution
A compression bone screw with a differential thread pitch, featuring proximal and distal threads of different pitches, designed to compress adjacent bone portions together, allowing for fracture closure without the need for a bone plate implant.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a bone plate implant is used to generate compression and stability at a bone interface, then bone fusion stability is improved, but device complexity and impracticality for certain body regions increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the compression function from the bone plate system and concentrates it into a single screw device. The differential pitch threads are designed to generate compression forces at the bone interface without requiring an accompanying bone plate, thereby simplifying the overall device while maintaining fusion stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention merges multiple functions into a single bone screw: fixation of bone fragments, generation of compression at the bone interface, and promotion of bone fusion. The differential pitch thread design integrates compression generation directly into the thread geometry, eliminating the need for separate compression mechanisms.
2Reliability
If a bone plate implant is used to stabilize bones, then bone fusion is promoted, but ease of operation and applicability to certain body regions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes the bone plate component entirely, extracting only the essential compression and fixation functions and embedding them within a single screw device. This extraction makes the procedure easier to perform in difficult-to-reach anatomical locations where bone plates would be cumbersome or impossible to implant.
3Force
If differential pitch threads are used to compress bone portions, then fracture closure is achieved, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The differential pitch thread design applies different thread characteristics at different locations along the screw shaft. The first pitch generates compression forces, while the second pitch provides engagement with the far cortex. This local differentiation of thread properties enables effective compression while maintaining manufacturability through standard threading processes.
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 differential thread pitch configuration effectively compresses adjacent bone portions, promoting bone fusion and stability without the necessity of a bone plate, facilitating bone repair and fusion in various anatomical locations.
Implementation Method 1
The second thread pitch is greater than the first thread pitch, such that engaging the screw within the hole causes the distal threads to push a first bone portion toward a second bone portion near the proximal threads, thereby closing a fracture between the first and second bone portions
Data Source
AI summary
A differential compression bone screw and a method are provided for compressing adjacent bone portions together to encourage bone fusion. The compression bone screw is comprised of a head portion and a shank. A center hole extends from the head portion to a distal end of the shank. A superior end of the head portion includes a shaped opening that receives a tool for driving the compression bone screw into a hole drilled in a patient's bone. An inferior end of the head portion includes barbs that engage with surrounding bone tissue. A smooth portion of the shank is disposed between proximal threads and distal threads that rotatably engage within the hole in the patient's bone. A thread pitch of the distal threads is greater than a thread pitch of the proximal threads, such that the compression bone screw comprises a differential pitch configured to compress the adjacent bone portions.