Modular Bone Screw Assembly for Precise Placement and Visualization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing surgical screws face challenges in precise placement and stabilization in limited visibility conditions, often damaging bone and interfering with visualization due to the screw'self-t, and, and require a need for improved bone screw design that enhances a surgeon's ability to secure attachment structures to bone while improving visualization during surgical procedures.
Innovation Solution
Modular and unitary bone screws with adjustable configurations and enhanced visualization features, allowing for precise placement and stabilization of surgical attachments, including caps with various functions for different surgical applications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional surgical screws are used to attach structures to bone, then the attachment structure can be secured to bone, but the screw and attachment structure interfere with visualization of the underlying bone at the target site
Solution Approach 1:
The surgical screw is divided into two separate functional components: a threaded shaft portion for bone anchoring and a separate head portion for attachment structure securing. This segmentation allows the shaft to be placed and visualized independently before the head is attached, improving visualization during the critical placement phase while maintaining secure attachment capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The threaded shaft portion is placed into the bone first at the target site, establishing the anchorage point before the head portion is attached. This preliminary action allows the surgeon to visualize and confirm proper placement of the shaft in bone before adding the head, which will hold the attachment structure.
2Reliability
If traditional surgical screws are used in confined spaces with limited visibility, then bone attachment can be achieved, but precise placement is difficult and bone damage may occur
Solution Approach 1:
By separating the screw into a placement shaft and an attachment head, the critical placement function is isolated to the shaft portion, which can be precisely positioned and visualized in confined spaces. The head is then attached separately, ensuring precise placement before securing the attachment structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The threaded shaft acts as an intermediary element that is first placed precisely in the bone at the target site, serving as a guide and anchor before the head portion is attached. This intermediary approach allows for precise placement verification before final attachment structure securing.
3Manufacturing precision
If traditional surgical screws are driven through surrounding membranes, then bone penetration is achieved, but the membrane may rotate and the attachment between driver and screw becomes unstable
Solution Approach 1:
The screw is segmented into a shaft portion with driver engagement features and a separate head portion. The shaft can be driven into bone with stable driver attachment, and once positioned, the head is attached separately to secure the attachment structure, eliminating instability during the driving process.
Solution Approach 2:
The shaft portion is driven into the bone first, establishing stable anchorage before the head portion is attached. This preliminary action ensures that the driver-screw attachment remains stable during bone penetration, as the shaft is designed for this specific function before the head is added.
4Device complexity
If a single-piece surgical screw is used, then the structure is simple, but the attachment structure must be held in place while the screw is drilled into bone under limited visibility
Solution Approach 1:
The surgical screw is divided into a threaded shaft portion for bone drilling and a separate head portion for attachment structure securing. This segmentation allows the shaft to be placed first under visualization, with the attachment structure already secured to the head, eliminating the need to hold the attachment structure during drilling.
Solution Approach 2:
The attachment structure is preliminarily secured to the head portion before the shaft is placed in bone. This allows the attachment structure to be positioned and secured separately from the bone drilling process, improving ease of operation under limited visibility.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention discloses a modular surgical bone screw assembly having a threaded base portion and a screw head adapted to attach a variety of structures to bone. The features of the screw include a modular design for the assembly that separates the function of anchorage to the recipient bone to one of the modules of the device (threaded portion) from the other function of attaching another element (such as bone block, membrane, orthodontic wires, elastics etc) to a second module (the screw head). The design also allows the head to be exchanged after the implant has been placed.