Expandable Spinal Implant Cam Mechanism Height Restoration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current treatments for spinal disorders such as degenerative disc disease and osteoporosis often fail to provide adequate stabilization and height restoration, leading to persistent pain and mobility issues, and existing surgical methods can be invasive and ineffective in maintaining long-term fixation.
Innovation Solution
An interbody implant system that includes a spinal implant with a movable cam body, capable of transitioning between a collapsed and expanded configuration, which is deployed using a minimally invasive technique to provide stabilization, height restoration, and anti-migration features, allowing for decompression and lordosis restoration through vertebral engagement surfaces and locking mechanisms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional interbody implants are used for spinal stabilization, then fixation is achieved, but the procedure is invasive and long-term fixation is ineffective
Solution Approach 1:
The implant incorporates a movable cam body that can transition between expanded and collapsed configurations, allowing the device to adapt dynamically during insertion and fixation. The cam body rotates within a cam chamber to expand the implant body, providing progressive stabilization while reducing initial invasiveness through a minimally invasive delivery mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The implant is divided into distinct functional components: a support frame with vertebral engaging surfaces, a movable cam body, and locking elements. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function independently while working together to achieve reliable fixation through a minimally invasive procedure.
2Reliability
If the implant body is expanded to provide height restoration, then stabilization is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The expansion mechanism is integrated directly into the implant body, merging the stabilization function with the expansion action. The cam body and cam chamber are combined with the support frame structure, allowing the implant to expand and stabilize in a single integrated operation rather than requiring separate complex mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The cam body is designed to rotate and expand the implant body through its own mechanical action within the cam chamber, without requiring external actuators or complex control systems. The locking elements automatically engage when the cam body rotates to the expanded position, providing self-contained stabilization.
3Length of moving object
If the cam body is rotated to expand the implant, then height restoration is achieved, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cam body and cam chamber are designed with complementary geometries that guide the expansion process. The cam chamber provides a controlled environment where the cam body rotates to a predetermined position, ensuring consistent expansion height. The locking elements are positioned to engage at a specific rotational angle, providing a reliable stop that ensures manufacturing precision without requiring extremely tight tolerances.
Data Source
AI summary
An implant includes a first component including a wall that defines a first surface and a second surface. The first surface defines a first opening and the second surface defines a second opening. The second opening is spaced apart from the first opening to define a cavity therebetween. A second component is supported by the first component and configured for movement relative thereto. The second component is movable between a first configuration such that the second component is disposed between the first opening and the second opening within the cavity and a second, expanded configuration such that the second component simultaneously passes through the first and second openings to extend from the cavity. Methods of use are also disclosed.