Modular Cervical Plate Coupling for Adjacent-Level Reoperation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cervical plates require complete removal during reoperation due to insufficient space for new screw fixation, leading to cumbersome operations, increased time, and financial and mental burdens on patients.
Innovation Solution
A cervical plate design featuring a main plate with a fitting groove and a subsidiary plate with a protrusion, allowing continuous installation without removing the existing plate, utilizing fastening holes, cover units, and complementary coupling mechanisms for enhanced stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional cervical plate with wide fixation range is used, then the plate can provide sufficient fixation stability, but there is insufficient space to fasten a new screw during reoperation on adjacent areas
Solution Approach 1:
The cervical plate is divided into multiple modular segments that can be independently installed on different vertebrae. Each segment has its own fixation holes and can be attached separately, allowing surgical access to adjacent areas without removing the entire plate. This segmentation enables reoperation on specific segments while maintaining fixation stability on other segments.
Solution Approach 2:
The plate design incorporates adjustable and reconfigurable elements that allow modification of the fixation configuration during reoperation. The plate can be dynamically adjusted to accommodate new screw fastening requirements in adjacent areas while maintaining the original fixation stability, through movable or reconfigurable connection elements.
2Ease of operation
If the entire cervical plate is removed to perform reoperation on adjacent areas, then sufficient space for new screw fastening is achieved, but the operation time and patient burden increase
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the cervical plate into modular components, only the specific segment requiring reoperation needs to be accessed or adjusted, rather than removing the entire plate. This reduces operation time while maintaining accessibility for new screw fastening in adjacent areas.
Solution Approach 2:
The design allows extraction or removal of only the specific plate segment that interferes with reoperation, while leaving other segments in place. This partial extraction approach reduces the time and complexity associated with complete plate removal while still providing necessary access for adjacent area surgery.
3Ease of manufacture
If a conventional cervical plate is used, then the plate structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but reoperation requires complete plate removal and reinstallation
Solution Approach 1:
The plate is manufactured as modular segments that can be independently produced using standard manufacturing processes. This segmentation simplifies reoperation by allowing selective replacement or adjustment of individual segments without requiring complete plate removal and reinstallation, thus reducing reoperation complexity while maintaining manufacturing simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The plate incorporates dynamic or adjustable elements that simplify reoperation procedures. These elements allow for easier modification and reconfiguration during reoperation without requiring complete plate removal, thereby reducing reoperation complexity while maintaining relatively simple manufacturing processes.
Data Source
AI summary
A cervical plate for easy reoperation includes: a main plate of a rectangular panel shape, which is installed using a screw on the vertebra from which the disk has been removed during spinal operation to support and fix the surgical site vertebra; and a subsidiary plate of a panel shape, which is installed using a screw during reoperation on an adjacent area to the surgical site where the main plate is installed to support and fix the reoperation site vertebra, wherein the main plate and the subsidiary plate can be connected continuously, thereby allowing additional installation of the subsidiary plate while maintaining the installed state of the main plate.