Expandable Spinal Implant for Post-Expansion Bone Growth Material Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing expandable interbody devices inhibit the introduction of bone growth promoting materials after expansion, limiting their effectiveness in spinal fusion procedures.
Innovation Solution
An expandable spinal implant system with a frame and movable plug that allows for the introduction of bone growth promoting materials after expansion, featuring a plug that moves distally to create space within the implant for material insertion and endplates that expand outward from the frame.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If expandable interbody devices are designed with internal expansion mechanisms, then the implant can be introduced in a collapsed state and expanded to produce additional spacing, but the internal mechanisms inhibit the introduction of bone growth promoting material into the implant after expansion
Solution Approach 1:
The implant is divided into distinct functional zones: an expansion mechanism zone and a material reception zone. The frame structure separates the expansion function (performed by the plug and endplate mechanism) from the material containment function (performed by the hollow chamber), allowing both functions to operate independently without interference.
Solution Approach 2:
The expansion mechanism is extracted from the material containment function. The plug and endplate expansion mechanism operates independently from the hollow chamber that receives bone growth material, eliminating the conflict between expansion components and material access.
2Shape
If the implant is designed to expand selectively on one end to restore spinal curvature, then spinal curvature can be restored, but the asymmetric expansion complicates the internal mechanism design and material introduction
Solution Approach 1:
The implant deliberately employs asymmetric design with a unilaterally positioned plug and endplate mechanism to restore spinal curvature. This asymmetric configuration is integrated with the hollow frame structure, where the curvature-generation function is separated from the material reception function, reducing the complexity conflict.
Solution Approach 2:
The asymmetric expansion function is segmented from the material containment function. The plug and endplate mechanism handles curvature restoration while the hollow chamber handles material containment, allowing each function to be optimized independently.
Data Source
AI summary
An expandable spinal implant is provided having a frame with a distal wall for retaining an expansion plug such that bone growth promoting material may be introduced to a proximal portion of the implant after expansion. Various implants, systems and methods are disclosed.