Intervertebral Implant with Orientation Protrusion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional intervertebral implants often impinge on vertebral endplates during spine flexion, limiting the range of motion due to their broad footprint design, and existing manufacturing methods are not optimized for cost-effectiveness and durability.
Innovation Solution
An intervertebral prosthetic device with a main body designed to fit within the travel path of vertebral bodies, featuring a polymeric material with fluid-receiving pores and a semi-spherical orientation protrusion to inhibit rotation, and a method for selecting and manufacturing the prosthesis using medical-grade polymers and specific molding processes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If conventional intervertebral implants are designed with broad footprint to match vertebral endplates, then implant stability and load distribution are improved, but the implants impinge on vertebral endplates during spine flexion, limiting range of motion
Solution Approach 1:
The implant is divided into two functional segments: a broad-based articulation portion that contacts the vertebral endplates for stability, and a narrower body portion that fits within the disc space to avoid impingement during flexion. This segmentation allows each portion to optimize its specific function without compromising the other.
Solution Approach 2:
The implant design transitions from a two-dimensional broad footprint at the articulation surface to a three-dimensional configuration where the body portion recedes into the disc space. This dimensional change allows the implant to maintain endplate contact for stability while avoiding impingement during spinal flexion through the arcing motion.
2Reliability
If polymer material is used for intervertebral implant, then biocompatibility and durability are improved, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The polymer material parameters are specifically controlled to achieve the desired balance between biocompatibility and manufacturability. The polymer is selected with appropriate viscosity, curing characteristics, and mechanical properties that enable complex geometries to be formed through injection molding while maintaining biological compatibility and long-term durability.
Solution Approach 2:
The implant utilizes composite material construction combining polymer matrix with potential reinforcement elements or surface treatments that enhance both biocompatibility and structural integrity. This composite approach allows optimization of material properties for both biological performance and manufacturing feasibility.
3Ease of operation
If implant body is sized to fit within travel path of vertebral bodies, then range of motion is improved, but implant stability and load-bearing capacity may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The implant exhibits local quality variations where the articulation portion has broad contact area for load distribution and stability, while the body portion is sized to fit within the travel path to enable range of motion. Each region of the implant is optimized for its specific functional requirement rather than uniform design.
Solution Approach 2:
The implant body portion incorporates curved surfaces and rounded geometries that facilitate smooth motion within the disc space while maintaining structural integrity. The spherical or ovoid shape of the body portion allows it to navigate the arcing travel path of the vertebral bodies during flexion without compromising strength.
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 prosthetic device allows for increased range of motion by avoiding impingement during flexion and extension, and the polymeric material provides durability and compatibility with bone, while the manufacturing method simplifies and reduces costs.
Implementation Method 1
The at least one of the upper and lower bearing portions including fluid-receiving pores and having a hardness that permits deformation of the main body to expel the fluid from the pores under a load applied by the respective upper or lower vertebral endplate
Implementation Method 2
having a hardness that permits deformation of the main body to expel the fluid from the pores under a load applied by the respective upper or lower vertebral endplate
Implementation Method 3
heating the polymer to a temperature between 600° and 800° Fahrenheit
Implementation Method 4
injecting the polymer into the main cavity of the mold at a temperature between 300° and 500° Fahrenheit and at a pack pressure between 5,000 and 15,000 PSI until the main cavity is completely filled with the polymer with a peak pressure between 15,000 and 25,000 PSI
Data Source
AI summary
In one aspect, an intervertebral prosthetic device for implantation within a disc space between adjacent first and second vertebral endplates includes a body including a main body with an outer surface bearing portion configured to interface with and articulate relative to one of the first and second vertebral endplates. It also comprises an orientation protrusion shaped in a manner to at least partially inhibit rotation of the body in the disc space. The body is sized in at least one direction to fit inside a boundary defined by a travel path of the first vertebra relative to the second vertebra, the travel path forming an arc about a center of rotation of the first vertebra, the travel path being spaced from the center of rotation a distance substantially equivalent to the distance from the center of rotation to the second vertebral endplate.