Expandable Membrane Vertebral Augmentation System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current minimally invasive procedures for treating vertebral compression fractures and intervertebral disc degeneration face challenges in delivering bone filler materials due to geometrical constraints and friction within cannulas, limiting control over the location and composition of injected materials, and failing to effectively reposition and augment damaged vertebrae to restore spinal lordosis.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a porous or permeable expandable membrane inserted into a vertebral body cavity, with a delivery cannula for injecting bone filler material and an evacuation cannula for controlling the material's distribution, allowing for controlled expansion and secretion of the filler material to restore anatomical alignment and structural support.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a rigid cannula is used to deliver bone filler material, then the procedure is minimally invasive, but the delivery of solid state biomaterial is challenging due to geometrical constraints and friction
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical state of the bone filler material from solid to liquid/suspension form, allowing it to be delivered through a minimally invasive cannula. The material can then transform back to a solid state after delivery, resolving the contradiction between minimally invasive access and the difficulty of delivering solid biomaterial.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a carrier fluid as an intermediary medium to transport the bone filler particles through the cannula. This carrier fluid allows the biomaterial to be delivered in a liquid suspension form, overcoming the geometrical constraints and friction issues associated with delivering solid material through a narrow cannula.
2Productivity
If bone cement is injected under pressure to fill the void, then the void is filled, but the direction and containment of the injected cement is difficult to control
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a balloon catheter as a flexible containment structure to deliver the bone filler material. The balloon can be inflated to a controlled shape and size, providing a defined geometry for material delivery and containment, thereby improving control over the location and distribution of the filler material while maintaining the ability to fill the void effectively.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent involves preliminary inflation of the balloon catheter to create a defined space and shape before delivering the bone filler material. This preliminary action establishes the containment boundaries and directional control needed to precisely place the material in the desired location, avoiding the uncontrolled dispersion that occurs with direct pressure injection.
3Manufacturing precision
If an expandable balloon is used to form a cavity, then the cavity is well-bounded and controlled, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates multiple functions into a single balloon catheter device: cavity formation, material containment, material delivery, and potential material mixing. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate devices for each step, thereby limiting the increase in overall device complexity while maintaining precise control over the injected material.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the cavity-forming balloon with the material delivery system into a single integrated device. The balloon serves both as the cavity-forming element and as the containment vessel for the bone filler material, merging multiple functions that would otherwise require separate devices and reducing overall system complexity.
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 safe and effective minimally invasive vertebral augmentation and restoration of spinal lordosis by providing controlled delivery and distribution of bone filler material, improving access and reducing procedural complexity while enhancing mechanical stability and anatomical alignment.
Implementation Method 1
A porous or permeable membrane is provided into an interior volume/void in a targeted vertebral body and receiving bone filler material
Implementation Method 2
A porous or permeable expandable membrane is provided into an interior volume/void in a targeted vertebral body
Data Source
AI summary
This invention relates generally to an instrumentation and implant system providing minimally invasive vertebral augmentation. The apparatus including an expandable membrane sized and configured to be located within a cavity in a patient's bone and having an interior volume for receiving bone filler material; a delivery cannula in communication with the membrane for providing bone filler material to the membrane; and an evacuation cannula in fluid communication with the membrane for receiving a portion of the provided bone filler material from the membrane.