Expandable Interbody Implant Locking Collar for Multi-Approach Placement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing intervertebral fusion devices face challenges in achieving precise placement and restoring disc height due to issues with surgical access and alignment, often leading to iatrogenic pathologies and inadequate disc spacing maintenance.
Innovation Solution
An expandable fusion device that can be inserted at a collapsed height and axially expanded to restore disc height, featuring an adjustable orientation and internal lock mechanism for precise placement, allowing insertion from multiple surgical approaches without fixed insertion features.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a fixed approach-specific insertion feature is used for each surgical approach, then precise placement can be achieved, but the device complexity increases and requires an extensive set of implants
Solution Approach 1:
The interface collar is designed with a universal interface that can be attached to different inserter instruments for various surgical approaches (anterior, lateral, posterior). The collar includes multiple attachment orientations that allow a single implant to be inserted through different approaches, eliminating the need for separate approach-specific implants for each surgical route.
Solution Approach 2:
The interface collar is made rotatable relative to the implant body, allowing dynamic adjustment of the insertion orientation during surgery. This rotatable feature enables the same implant to be adapted to different surgical approaches by rotating the collar to the appropriate angle, providing flexibility without requiring multiple fixed-orientation implants.
2Ease of operation
If the implant is inserted at collapsed height, then surgical access is improved, but disc height restoration is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The implant incorporates an expandable endplate that can dynamically change from a collapsed state during insertion to an expanded state for disc height restoration. The endplate includes expansion features that allow it to be inflated or expanded axially, transforming the implant from a compact insertion configuration to a height-restoring configuration after placement.
Solution Approach 2:
The implant is pre-configured in a collapsed state for easy insertion, and the expansion mechanism is prepared in advance. After insertion, the endplate can be expanded using an expansion tool or automatic expansion mechanism to achieve the desired disc height, separating the insertion action from the height restoration action.
3Adaptability or versatility
If manual orientation adjustment is required, then adaptability to different approaches is improved, but the operation time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The implant includes an automatic locking mechanism that self-orients and locks into place without requiring manual adjustment. The locking features automatically engage at the correct orientation, eliminating the need for time-consuming manual alignment and adjustment procedures while maintaining adaptability to different surgical approaches.
Solution Approach 2:
The interface collar includes orientation indicators and locking feedback mechanisms that provide tactile or visual feedback to the surgeon during insertion. This feedback system guides the implant into the correct orientation automatically, reducing the time needed for manual adjustment while ensuring proper alignment for the chosen surgical approach.
Data Source
AI summary
Expandable fusion devices, systems, instruments, and methods thereof. The expandable fusion implant may include an upper endplate and a lower endplate configured to engage adjacent vertebrae, an expansion gear configured to adjust a height of the upper endplate, a locking collar configured to attach to an inserter instrument at multiple orientations for a desired surgical approach, and an actuation ram configured to lock, unlock, or change insertion orientation of the locking collar. The expandable fusion device is attachable to the inserter instrument to reorient the locking collar and expand the upper endplate.