Expandable Vertebral Insert Linkages for Greater Fusion Surface Area
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional intervertebral spacers often lack sufficient surface area to optimally fuse adjacent vertebral bodies, leading to potential issues with stability and integration.
Innovation Solution
The development of an expandable vertebral insert with linkages and keels that can move between collapsed and expanded configurations, providing increased surface area and promoting bone integration through grooves and keels for enhanced fusion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of moving object
If conventional intervertebral spacers are used, then the device structure is simple, but the surface area for fusion is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The vertebral insert is designed with linkages that allow it to dynamically change its configuration from collapsed to expanded state. The body portion includes first and second linkages that can move relative to each other, enabling the insert to expand its surface area after implantation to provide sufficient fusion area while maintaining a compact form for minimally invasive insertion.
Solution Approach 2:
The insert employs a nested structure where the body portion contains internal linkages and cavities that allow components to be housed within each other in the collapsed state. The first and second linkages are positioned within the body portion, and the overall structure nests the expansion mechanism within the implantable form factor.
2Area of moving object
If the vertebral insert is expanded to increase surface area, then fusion capability is improved, but the insertion difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The insert transitions from a static to a dynamic structure that expands after insertion. The linkages are designed to move from a collapsed configuration during minimally invasive insertion to an expanded configuration once positioned, providing large surface area contact with vertebral bodies without requiring a large insertion channel.
Solution Approach 2:
The insert is prepared in a collapsed configuration before insertion, allowing it to pass through a small access point. After successful placement between the vertebral bodies, the insert is then expanded to provide the necessary surface area for fusion, separating the insertion action from the expansion action.
3Stability of the object's composition
If additional fixation methods are used to ensure stability, then stability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The insert is designed to achieve stability through its own expanded structure and bone integration features rather than requiring separate fixation components. The large surface area provided by the expanded linkages and body portion enables direct bone-on-bone contact and bone graft distribution, allowing the device to stabilize itself through biological integration.
Solution Approach 2:
The stabilization function is merged into the primary structure of the insert itself. The linkages and body portion serve both the expansion function and the stabilization function, eliminating the need for separate fixation devices such as screws or plates.
4Quantity of substance
If the insert is expanded after insertion, then bone graft distribution is improved, but the control precision during expansion decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The insert provides controlled dynamics for expansion through its linkage mechanism. The first and second linkages are designed with specific geometries that control the expansion motion, ensuring predictable and precise expansion after insertion. This controlled expansion optimizes bone graft distribution throughout the intervertebral space.
Data Source
AI summary
A vertebral insert may include a first linkage, a second linkage, and a third linkage. The first, second, and third linkages may at least partially defining a cavity. The insert may be movable between a collapsed configuration and an expanded configuration, and the movement of the first and second linkages with respect to one another may be configured to reciprocally move the insert between the collapsed and expanded configurations.