Lateral Plate with Moveable Washer for Spinal Screw Adjustment
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current spinal implant fusion systems often cause significant trauma to surrounding tissues and nerves due to fixed screw placement, which limits the ability to achieve secure fixation and optimal alignment between adjacent vertebrae.
Innovation Solution
A lateral plate fixation device with a moveable washer and anti-back out mechanism that allows for adjustable screw placement and angulation, enabling secure attachment to vertebrae while minimizing tissue disruption, and includes a low-profile design with serrations for better bone integration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If fixed screw placement is used in spinal implant fusion systems, then the device structure is simple, but significant trauma is caused to surrounding tissues and nerves
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a moveable washer that can be adjusted along a slotted aperture to change the position and angulation of bone screws relative to the lateral plate. This dynamic adjustment capability allows the surgeon to optimize screw placement to avoid nerves and tissues, resolving the contradiction between simple device structure and reduced trauma to surrounding structures.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If adjustable screw placement and angulation are implemented, then trauma to surrounding tissues and nerves is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the screw attachment function into two independent components: the lateral plate with slotted aperture and the moveable washer with bone screw. This segmentation allows the washer to be independently adjusted along the slot to achieve optimal screw placement and angulation, providing adjustability without requiring the entire device to be complex.
Solution Approach 2:
The slotted aperture introduces a linear dimension for adjustment along the length of the plate, while the moveable washer provides angular adjustment capability. This multi-dimensional adjustment space enables optimized screw placement to avoid nerves and tissues while maintaining a relatively simple overall device structure.
3Manufacturing precision
If moveable washer is used to adjust screw distance, then optimal alignment between vertebrae is achieved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The moveable washer can be positioned at different locations along the slotted aperture to adjust the distance between bone screws, enabling optimal alignment and spacing between adjacent vertebrae. This dynamic positioning capability achieves precise alignment while keeping the device structure relatively simple through the use of a single adjustable component.
Data Source
AI summary
A lateral plate assembly has an elongated lateral plate for attachment to adjacent vertebrae having a first end portion and a second end portion and a pair of apertures for receiving a first and a second bone screw. The pair of apertures includes a first aperture which is an opening positioned in the first end portion for receiving the first bone screw and a second aperture which is a slotted opening to receive the second bone screw. The second end portion of the lateral plate has an open end with channelled internal sides for receiving and holding a moveable washer on top of the slotted opening. The washer is configured to move along a length of the slotted aperture. The moveable washer has an opening for holding a head of the second bone screw. Movement of the washer relative to the slotted opening increases or decreases the distance between locations of the respective screw heads.