Intervertebral Cage with Anchoring Plate for Cervical Fusion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current intervertebral fusion cage techniques face challenges in maintaining dimensional stability and precise positioning, especially in the cervical region, where the risk of vertebral displacement and spinal cord injury is high due to the small dimensions of the vertebrae and intervertebral spaces.
Innovation Solution
An intervertebral cage with a parallelepiped shape, initially open on one side, featuring back stop barbs and an elastic or rigid plate for anchoring to the vertebrae, which ensures precise placement and maintains stability by preventing extraction and promoting bone fusion through compression of the bone graft.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a cage with multiple perforations is inserted into drilled cavities in the vertebral bodies, then bone fusion is improved, but dimensional stability of the inter-disk space deteriorates due to placement on spongy parts
Solution Approach 1:
The cage design incorporates different wall configurations for different purposes: the posterior wall is solid to provide structural support and stability on spongy bone, while the anterior wall has perforations to facilitate bone fusion. This local differentiation allows the cage to simultaneously achieve both dimensional stability and effective bone fusion by optimizing each wall's function according to its specific role.
2Stability of the object's composition
If a cage is supported on cortical parts to improve dimensional stability, then stability is improved, but bone fusion quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The cage incorporates a solid posterior wall for stable support on cortical bone while including anterior perforations that enable direct contact with spongy bone for effective fusion. This local quality differentiation allows simultaneous achievement of both dimensional stability through cortical support and bone fusion through spongy bone contact.
3Ease of operation
If the cage is open on one side to facilitate insertion, then ease of operation is improved, but positioning precision deteriorates due to risk of extraction and displacement
Solution Approach 1:
The cage includes pre-formed stops on its insertion face that engage with the vertebral endplate before complete insertion. These stops preliminarily establish the correct positioning and prevent over-insertion or extraction, ensuring positioning precision is maintained despite the open configuration that facilitates ease of insertion.
4Reliability
If the cage is closed after insertion to secure the bone graft, then bone fusion is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The closure wall is integrated with the stops to form a single unified component rather than separate parts. This merging of functions (closure and positioning) into one element achieves effective bone graft containment and secure closure without increasing device complexity, as the same structural features serve multiple purposes.
Data Source
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AI summary
Embodiments of the invention relate to an intervertebral cage for enclosing a bone graft for the fusion of two adjacent vertebrae, comprising a base element (1) made up of a posterior wall (2) and two lateral walls (3, 4) connected to it, and a closure element initially separated from the base element (1). Some embodiments include several intervertebral cages of the preceding type that all incorporate a single closure element made up of a plate extending over all vertebrae to be fused.