Inter-spinous Implant with Axial Slits for Minimally Invasive Spinal Decompression
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional surgical methods for lumbar spinal canal stenosis involve invasive procedures that pose risks of hemorrhaging, complications, and prolonged recovery, while minimally invasive methods may cause excessive stress on the processus spinosus, leading to potential bone destruction.
Innovation Solution
An interspinous implant with a conoid screw region, inverse truncated conoid head region, and spacer region, featuring slits or grooves along its axis to enhance flexibility and reduce stress, allowing for minimally invasive insertion and long-term stability without excessive bone contact.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional surgical methods (laminectomy, expanded fenestration) are used to treat lumbar spinal canal stenosis, then the spinal canal can be effectively decompressed, but the patient is exposed to hemorrhaging risks, serious complications, and prolonged hospitalization
Solution Approach 1:
The implant is divided into distinct functional segments: a screw region for anchoring, a spacer region for maintaining separation, and a head region for tool engagement. This segmentation allows each part to perform its specific function optimally while minimizing overall invasiveness
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of removing bone or tissue to decompress the spinal canal (conventional approach), the invention inserts a spacer between the spinous processes to push them apart, thereby indirectly decompressing the canal. This inverted approach achieves the same therapeutic goal with minimal tissue removal
2Stability of the object's composition
If a rigid interspinous implant is used to maintain spacer distance, then structural stability is achieved, but excessive stress is applied to the processus spinosus leading to potential bone destruction
Solution Approach 1:
The implant incorporates flexible elements including a elastic member in the spacer region and a resilient member in the head region. These flexible components allow the implant to adapt to physiological movements while maintaining the spacer distance, reducing stress concentration on the bone
Solution Approach 2:
The implant uses materials with specific elastic moduli and damping characteristics to change the mechanical parameters of the spacer system. The elastic modulus of the spacer material is optimized to provide sufficient rigidity for distance maintenance while incorporating damping properties to reduce stress peaks on the bone
3Object-generated harmful factors
If the implant structure is made complex to reduce stress on bone, then stress distribution improves, but the insertion procedure becomes more difficult and less minimally invasive
Solution Approach 1:
The implant features a nested structure where the elastic member is housed within the spacer region, and the resilient member is integrated into the head region. This nesting allows complex stress-distributing mechanisms to be contained within a compact form that can be inserted through a minimally invasive percutaneous approach
Solution Approach 2:
The implant incorporates dynamic elements that adapt to loading conditions. The elastic and resilient members provide progressive resistance to compression, allowing the implant to maintain stability under varying physiological loads while being inserted through a simple percutaneous motion without requiring complex pre-positioning
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The implant reduces dynamic stress on the processus spinosus, enabling safer, less invasive procedures with reduced risk of bone destruction and prolonged effectiveness, facilitating outpatient recovery and minimizing temporal, physical, and financial burdens on patients.
Implementation Method 1
a substantially conoid screw region to be screwed into a processus spinosus interspace
Implementation Method 2
screw region having screw threads to be screwable into a processus spinosus interspace
Implementation Method 3
the spacer region is pinched by passing the screw region through the processus spinosus interspace
Implementation Method 4
at least one slit or groove is formed in a long axis direction of the entire shape of the implant... allowing the entire implant to bend with elasticity... reducing a dynamic stress excessively applied to processus spinosus
Data Source
AI summary
An inter-spinous implant includes an approximately conical screw portion, further having a screw thread, which can be screwed between spinous processes; a head portion of an approximate inverted frustum shape of the same axis as the screw portion; a spacer portion that is formed between the screw portion and the head portion in the axial direction; and a through hole that passes through the axial center of the screw portion, the spacer portion, and the head portion. At least one slit is formed in the major axial direction of the total shape of the implant, having at least one-third the length of the total length of the major axial direction, the depth whereof reaching the through hole. Disposing the slit in the major axial direction of the implant proper imparts flexibility and elasticity to the implant overall, simplifies the installation and insertion of the implant.