Expandable Intervertebral Implant With Living Hinges for Bone Graft Volume
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current intervertebral devices are static and do not adapt to anatomical variations, limiting optimal bone graft volume and surface contact, necessitating a device that can change shape and volume for improved implantation and bone integration.
Innovation Solution
A minimally invasive intervertebral implant with a circuitous body linked by living hinges, allowing transition from an open to a closed configuration through plastic deformation and locking mechanisms, facilitated by an implantation tool for precise placement and bone graft delivery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If current static intervertebral devices are used, then device structure is simple, but bone graft volume and surface contact with vertebral endplates are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The implant transitions from a compressed delivery configuration to an expanded functional configuration at the implantation site. The circuitous body with living hinges allows dynamic transformation from a compact state for minimally invasive delivery to an expanded state that maximizes bone graft volume and endplate contact surface area, resolving the contradiction between simple structure and increased quantity/surface contact.
Solution Approach 2:
The implant is designed to be nested within itself during delivery, with the circuitous body forming a compact configuration that fits through small incisions. Once positioned, the implant expands outward to provide maximum bone graft volume and surface contact, effectively using a nested structure to overcome the limitation of simple static designs.
2Adaptability or versatility
If current static intervertebral devices are used, then manufacturing is simple, but adaptability to anatomical variations is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The dynamic transformation capability allows the implant to adapt to different anatomical configurations. The circuitous body with living hinges can be compressed for delivery through various approaches and then expanded to conform to the specific intervertebral space geometry, providing adaptability without requiring multiple fixed-size implants.
Solution Approach 2:
The implant utilizes parameter changes in its structural configuration - transitioning from a compressed state with small transverse dimensions to an expanded state with larger transverse dimensions. This parameter transformation enables the same device structure to adapt to varying anatomical requirements while maintaining manufacturing simplicity.
3Quantity of substance
If an expandable implant is used to increase bone graft volume, then bone graft volume improves, but device stability during transition may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The circuitous body is divided into multiple segments connected by living hinges, allowing controlled sequential expansion. This segmentation enables the implant to transition through stable intermediate configurations rather than abrupt changes, maintaining structural stability during the transformation from compressed to expanded state while achieving increased bone graft volume.
Solution Approach 2:
The living hinges are pre-configured with locking mechanisms that engage at specific points during expansion. This preliminary preparation of locking features ensures that once the implant reaches its expanded configuration, it achieves immediate stability to maintain the increased bone graft volume and prevent collapse.
4Ease of operation
If a minimally invasive approach is used with constrained delivery space, then surgical trauma is reduced, but implant placement precision is challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The implant is nested in a compressed configuration within a delivery device, allowing minimally invasive insertion through small incisions with reduced surgical trauma. The nested structure enables the implant to pass through constrained delivery spaces while maintaining the capability to expand to full size once positioned, balancing ease of operation with placement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The dynamic compression and expansion capability allows the implant to be delivered in a compact form through minimally invasive approaches, then transformed to its functional expanded state at the target site. This dynamic transformation enables precise placement through small incisions while achieving the desired final configuration for optimal bone graft volume and endplate contact.
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
Enables efficient implantation in constrained spaces, enhances bone graft volume and contact with vertebral endplates, and maintains a stable configuration post-deformation for improved fusion and integration.
Implementation Method 1
plastic deformation of the material and/or a mechanism for locking the device in the second configuration
Data Source
AI summary
A minimally invasive intervertebral implant includes a circuitous body defining a luminal axis extending longitudinally therethrough. The circuitous body includes proximal and distal ends oppositely disposed along a lateral axis of the circuitous body. Each of the proximal and distal ends includes an aperture disposed therethrough such that the circuitous body includes a first configuration wherein the proximal and distal ends are at a maximum separation and a second configuration wherein the proximal and distal ends are closer together than in the first configuration.