Expandable Spinal Interbody Device Dynamics
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for small profile rigid devices that can expand to occupy a larger footprint in spinal fusion procedures to reduce recovery time and surgical tissue damage, while maintaining stability in the intervertebral disc space.
Innovation Solution
The development of an expandable device comprising four arms and cylindrical bolts with slots, allowing for expansion from a closed to an open configuration, and an insertion tool to deploy and lock the device in place, which can be used as an interbody device for spinal fusions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a rigid device is used to maintain separation between adjacent vertebrae, then stability in the intervertebral disc space is improved, but the device profile becomes large making minimally invasive insertion difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The device transitions from a compressed insertion state to an expanded operational state. The expandable structure allows the device to be inserted in a compact form and then deployed to a larger size within the intervertebral disc space, resolving the contradiction between small profile for insertion and large footprint for stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The device is divided into multiple segments or arms that can be collapsed together during insertion and then expanded apart during deployment. This segmentation allows the device to achieve both a small profile for minimally invasive insertion and a large footprint for stable vertebral separation.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the device is inserted through a minimally invasive incision, then surgical tissue damage is reduced, but the device must have a small profile which limits its stability
Solution Approach 1:
The dynamic expandable design allows the device to maintain a small profile during insertion through minimally invasive incisions, reducing tissue damage. After insertion, the device expands to achieve the necessary stability and footprint for effective vertebral separation, thus resolving the contradiction between minimal invasiveness and stability.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the device is expanded to occupy a larger footprint, then stability and support in the intervertebral disc space are improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The device is segmented into multiple arms or struts that can be independently controlled during expansion. This segmentation allows for a manageable complexity level while achieving the necessary stability, as each segment can be optimized for specific functions and the overall structure remains modular.
Solution Approach 2:
The device employs a nested configuration where smaller structural elements are contained within larger ones during the compressed state. This nesting approach reduces the apparent complexity during insertion while allowing for expansion to a stable, support-providing configuration, effectively managing the complexity-stability contradiction.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides expandable devices and insertion tools for deploying the expandable devices. The expandable devices are capable of increasing in height and width when expanded from a closed configuration to an open configuration to occupy a larger volume and to present a larger surface area. The expandable devices are lockable and are capable of rigidly occupying a space after expansion. In some embodiments, the expandable devices are useful as interbody devices for spinal fusions.