Expandable Vertebral Insert for Fusion Area and Spinal Stability
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional intervertebral spacers lack sufficient surface area for optimal fusion of adjacent vertebral bodies, leading to potential instability and inefficiencies in spinal fusion procedures.
Innovation Solution
The development of an expandable vertebral insert with linkages and keels that allow for expansion between collapsed and expanded configurations, providing increased surface area and stability, and includes features like keels and lateral spacers to enhance bone integration and fusion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of moving object
If conventional intervertebral spacers are used, then the implantation procedure is simple, but the surface area for fusion is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The vertebral insert is designed with expandable linkages that allow it to transition from a collapsed configuration during insertion to an expanded configuration after implantation. This dynamic transformation enables the device to achieve a larger surface area for fusion without requiring a complex fixed structure, as the expansion is achieved through mechanical linkages that convert rotational motion into linear expansion.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention utilizes the expansion dimension to increase surface area. By allowing the insert to expand in the vertical dimension (from collapsed to expanded height), the device achieves a larger contact surface area with the vertebral bodies without increasing the footprint or requiring additional complex structural elements.
2Stability of the object's composition
If conventional intervertebral spacers are used, then the device structure is simple, but spinal stability is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The expandable linkage mechanism provides dynamic stability adjustment. After insertion in the collapsed state, the insert is expanded to achieve optimal spinal stability. The linkage structure inherently provides mechanical stability when expanded, and the device can be locked in the expanded position to maintain spinal stability without requiring additional complex fixation elements.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the height parameter of the vertebral insert from a fixed dimension in conventional spacers to a variable dimension that can be adjusted from collapsed to expanded state. This parameter change allows optimization of spinal stability by achieving the appropriate disc height and lordosis angle after expansion, while the insertion procedure remains relatively simple.
3Reliability
If conventional intervertebral spacers are used, then the implantation procedure is straightforward, but bone integration is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The expandable linkage mechanism creates dynamic loading conditions during and after insertion that promote bone integration. The expansion process and subsequent maintenance of expanded state provide mechanical stimulation that encourages bone growth and integration with the vertebral bodies, achieving better reliability for fusion without requiring additional bone grafting procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The insert incorporates localized features such as keels and lateral spacers that provide enhanced bone integration at specific contact points with the vertebral bodies. These localized quality enhancements concentrate the bone integration function at critical areas without requiring the entire device structure to be complex.
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.