Expandable Intervertebral Scaffolding With Stabilizer for Graft Distribution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current intervertebral fusion systems face issues with incomplete bone graft distribution, leading to premature failure and instability due to unfilled pockets, difficulty in insertion, large annulotomy trauma, and potential backout of fusion cages.
Innovation Solution
An intervertebral scaffolding system with a laterovertically-expanding frame and stabilizer that ensures complete bone graft distribution, maintains stability, and prevents backout, featuring a central beam and laterally expanding frames with connector elements and a stabilizer to retain beams in position.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If traditional fusion cages are designed to be oversized relative to the disc space to distract the disc space, then disc space distraction is achieved, but insertion and positioning become difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The fusion cage is designed with expandable features that allow it to be inserted in a compact state and then expanded within the disc space. This dynamic transformation enables easy insertion followed by effective disc space distraction, resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and force application.
2Ease of operation
If expandable fusion cages are used to insert at low height and expand vertically, then insertion ease is improved, but bone graft distribution becomes problematic with unfilled pockets
Solution Approach 1:
The cage structure is segmented with multiple chambers and internal pathways that guide bone graft material throughout the entire cage volume. This segmentation ensures complete bone graft distribution without unfilled pockets while maintaining the expandable design for easy insertion.
Solution Approach 2:
The cage incorporates porous structures and open-cell designs that facilitate uniform bone graft infiltration and distribution throughout all regions of the cage, eliminating unfilled pockets and ensuring complete bone contact for optimal fusion.
3Reliability
If large annulotomy is performed to accommodate stability, then cage stability is improved, but patient trauma increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cage is designed to be inserted in a collapsed or compact state through a smaller annulotomy, then expanded within the disc space to achieve stability. This dynamic approach reduces the initial surgical trauma while maintaining the necessary cage stability for fusion.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If expandable cages are used, then insertion trauma is reduced, but backout becomes a problem due to inability to expand laterally beyond annulotomy
Solution Approach 1:
The cage expansion mechanism incorporates lateral expansion capability in addition to vertical expansion. This multi-dimensional expansion allows the cage to extend beyond the annulotomy boundaries laterally, preventing backout while maintaining minimal initial trauma through small annulotomy.
Data Source
AI summary
An intervertebral scaffolding system is provided having a laterovertically-expanding frame operable for a reversible collapse from an expanded state into a collapsed state, the laterovertically-expanding frame having a stabilizer that slidably engages with the distal region of the laterovertically-expanding frame and is configured for retaining the laterovertically-expanding frame from a lateral movement that exceeds the expanded state. The expanded state, for example, can be configured to have an open graft distribution window that at least substantially closes upon the reversible collapse.