Interbody Implant Attachment for Easier Screw Fixation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The anatomy of a patient, particularly in the spine, poses challenges for securing an implant due to small bones and the location of the spinal cord, making implantation difficult and delicate.
Innovation Solution
An interbody attachment device with a posterior projection and retainer ring, along with screw openings and optional screw locks, facilitates secure fixation of the implant to adjacent bones using bone screws, enhancing ease of implantation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If direct screw insertion into the implant is used, then the implantation procedure is simple, but the clinician cannot adequately secure the implant due to patient anatomy constraints
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment device serves as an intermediary component between the implant and the bone screws. It extends the screw opening outward from the implant body, providing a larger target area for screw insertion while maintaining secure fixation to the implant. This mediator approach resolves the contradiction by enabling easier access for the clinician without compromising the reliability of the bone-implant connection.
2Ease of operation
If the screw opening is extended outward, then access for screw insertion is improved, but the device structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment device is segmented into distinct functional components: a body portion that interfaces with the implant, an extended projection that provides access, and a retainer mechanism that prevents backout. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function efficiently while keeping the overall design manageable and not excessively complex.
Solution Approach 2:
The attachment device is designed to be inserted into or attached to the existing implant structure, effectively nesting the attachment within or upon the implant. This nesting approach allows the attachment to extend functionality outward for easier access while remaining integrated with the implant, thereby minimizing the perceived increase in overall device complexity.
3Reliability
If a retainer ring is added to prevent backout, then fixation reliability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The retainer ring functionality is merged with the projection structure itself. The projection includes an enlarged portion that acts as the retainer, combining the support function with the retention function in a single integrated feature rather than adding a completely separate retainer component. This merging reduces the number of discrete parts and simplifies the overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The projection serves multiple functions simultaneously: it extends the screw opening for better access, provides structural support for the bone screw, and includes an enlarged portion that acts as a retainer to prevent backout. This multi-functionality means that one structural element (the projection) accomplishes three different tasks, thereby improving reliability without proportionally increasing device complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
An interbody attachment assembly includes an implant having a superior surface, an inferior surface, and an anterior surface extending between the superior surface and the inferior surface. A first screw opening extends superiorly through the anterior surface and through the superior surface and a second screw opening extends inferiorly through the anterior surface and the inferior surface such that a first screw can be inserted through the first screw opening and secure the implant to a superior bone member and a second screw can be inserted through the second screw opening and secure the implant to an inferior bone member. An attachment is configured to be inserted into one or each of the first and second screw openings.