Expandable Angularly Adjustable Intervertebral Cages for Narrow Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current intervertebral cages face challenges in navigating narrow access pathways due to limited working space and accommodating angular relationships between vertebral bodies, leading to improper fitting and potential dislodgment or migration.
Innovation Solution
Expandable and angularly adjustable intervertebral cages designed for easy insertion and expansion, manufactured using additive manufacturing techniques, allowing for customizable structures with internal expansion components and imaging markers to facilitate precise placement and stabilization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the cage is designed with a larger size to restore disc height and stabilize the spine, then the structural support and stabilization effect is improved, but the difficulty of insertion through narrow access pathways increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cage is divided into an upper plate and a lower plate that can move relative to each other, allowing the cage to be compressed into a compact insertion configuration and then expanded to a larger stabilized configuration after insertion through the narrow access pathway
Solution Approach 2:
The cage transitions from a static design to a dynamic design with movable plates connected by a hinge, enabling the cage to change size and angle during insertion and after implantation to accommodate both narrow access pathways and angular vertebral relationships
2Adaptability or versatility
If the cage is designed to accommodate angular relationships between vertebral bodies, then the adaptability to lordotic angles is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge connection between the upper and lower plates allows the cage to dynamically adjust its angle to match the lordotic angle between vertebral bodies, providing adaptability without requiring multiple pre-configured angular options
Solution Approach 2:
The cage utilizes changes in the hinge angle parameter to adapt to different lordotic angles, allowing a single device design to accommodate multiple angular configurations through mechanical adjustment rather than requiring multiple specialized devices
3Ease of operation
If the cage is inserted in a compressed configuration to navigate narrow access pathways, then the ease of insertion is improved, but the disc height restoration capability is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The cage is inserted in a compressed configuration with the upper and lower plates close together to navigate narrow access pathways, then expanded after insertion by moving the plates apart to restore adequate disc height
Solution Approach 2:
The cage structure is segmented into movable upper and lower plates that can be positioned close together for insertion and then separated to achieve the necessary disc height restoration, with the hinge connection maintaining structural integrity throughout the transformation
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2E
Figure 3~4
AI summary
An expandable spinal implant, comprising: a body having an upper plate and a lower plate, each of the plates including an adjustment surface and the lower plate including a cavity, the implant further having a channel for receiving an actuator pin; and an actuator pin comprising a shaft having an exterior adjustment surface configured to cooperate with the adjustment surfaces of the upper and lower plates to urge the upper and lower plates apart to an expanded position, thereby expanding the implant, the actuator pin including a notch insertable into the cavity of the lower plate, thereby locking the plates in their expanded position.