Expandable Intervertebral Device Fixation via Dual-Access Screw and Suture Channels
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current intervertebral devices used in spinal surgery face complications such as migration and subsidence, leading to adverse symptoms, dysfunction, and the need for revision surgery, due to inadequate fixation and expansion mechanisms, which can result in damage to surrounding structures and failed fusion.
Innovation Solution
An expandable intervertebral device with a dual-access screw for modulation and hollow channels for high-strength suture fixation, allowing for secure expansion, retraction, and external support, enabling precise correction of deformities and preventing migration through a low-profile fixation method.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional intervertebral devices are used for spinal fixation, then surgical intervention can be performed, but device migration and subsidence occur leading to failed fusion and revision surgery
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a dynamic expansion mechanism where the intervertebral device is inserted in a compressed state and then expanded within the vertebral space using an expansion tool. This dynamic transformation allows the device to adapt to the intervertebral space geometry while providing stable fixation, preventing migration and subsidence through controlled expansion rather than rigid pre-expansion
Solution Approach 2:
The device is divided into multiple components including an outer cage structure, inner expansion elements, and separate fixation screws. This segmentation allows independent optimization of each component - the cage provides structural stability, the expansion mechanism enables precise size adjustment, and the screws provide additional anchoring - collectively preventing migration while maintaining manufacturability
2Manufacturing precision
If intervertebral devices are expanded to correct deformities, then spinal alignment is improved, but surrounding structures may be compressed causing damage
Solution Approach 1:
The device allows precise control of expansion parameters through the dual-access screw mechanism. The screw can be adjusted to control the degree of expansion in real-time, enabling the surgeon to achieve the exact dimensional changes needed for deformity correction while monitoring surrounding tissue response. This parameter control prevents over-expansion that could compress neural structures
Solution Approach 2:
The device acts as an intermediary structure between the vertebral bodies, providing a controlled expansion force that corrects deformities without directly compressing surrounding structures. The cage design distributes expansion forces through the intervertebral space rather than concentrating them on adjacent tissues, and the expansion mechanism allows gradual adjustment to accommodate tissue response
3Stability of the object's composition
If fixed intervertebral devices are implanted, then spinal stability is achieved, but revision surgery becomes difficult due to device migration and anchoring
Solution Approach 1:
The device incorporates a reversible expansion mechanism that can be adjusted or collapsed using the dual-access screw system. This dynamic capability allows the device to be modified during revision surgery - the screw can be accessed from different approaches to collapse or adjust the device, facilitating removal or replacement without requiring complete disassembly of the fixation system
Solution Approach 2:
The dual-access screw mechanism serves multiple functions: initial device expansion, ongoing adjustment for stability, and facilitation of revision surgery. This multi-functionality allows the same component to provide both stable fixation and ease of revision, as the screw can be accessed from different surgical approaches to control device state throughout the device lifecycle
Data Source
AI summary
An expandable intervertebral device and its fixation during spinal surgery features the following: The intervertebral device is stabilized using a latticework of high-strength suture that is either directly integrated or external to the device and has hollow channels for threading of high-strength suture, permitting direct integration of suture into the device for fixation via bone anchors. Expansion and retraction of the intervertebral device is achieved by modulating a dual-access screw, which can be accessed from either end of the intervertebral device. The versatility of the dual-access screw and easily detachable suture threads afford surgeons an ability to remove the intervertebral device from the most optimal direction during primary or revision surgery. This intervertebral device having the dual-access screw and high-strength suture fixation permits a secure, safe, versatile, and efficient approach to spinal surgery.