Mosaic Bone Implant With Wire Anchoring For Shape Adaptation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current bone tissue defect implants face challenges with low bone formation and mechanical strength, particularly in large defects like the cranium or long bones, where metal meshes have limited shapeability and ceramics are mechanically weak, leading to scaffold failure and infection risks.

Innovation Solution

A mosaic implant system combining a wire or mesh anchoring system with moulded solid biomaterial plates, allowing for shapeability in the operating theatre and enhanced bone integration, using high-strength wires and osteo-conductive/inductive materials like polymers, ceramics, and metals, which can be composed of resorbable or stable biomaterials.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Strength

If metal mesh is used for bone defect filling, then mechanical strength is improved, but bone in-growth is reduced and shapeability is limited

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemechanical strengthVSAvoidshapeability

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The implant is divided into multiple separate wire elements that can be independently manipulated and positioned. These wire segments form a mesh structure that can be shaped by bending individual wires without affecting the entire structure, enabling complex shape adaptation while maintaining mechanical strength.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The wire mesh structure allows changes in geometric parameters (shape, size, configuration) through bending and shaping operations. The mechanical properties remain maintained while the shape parameters are adjusted to fit complex defect geometries, resolving the contradiction between shapeability and strength retention.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Ease of manufacture

If ceramic materials are used for bone defect filling, then bone in-growth is improved, but mechanical strength is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebone in-growth capabilityVSAvoidmechanical strength

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The implant combines metal wire elements (providing mechanical strength) with ceramic coating or ceramic-reinforced sections (providing osteoconductivity and bone in-growth capability). This composite structure integrates the advantages of both materials while mitigating their individual disadvantages.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

3Ease of manufacture

If hydroxylapatite powder coating is applied to Ti-mesh, then bone in-growth is improved, but shapeability is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebone in-growth capabilityVSAvoidshapeability in operating theatre

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The hydroxylapatite coating is applied in advance during manufacturing before the implant reaches the operating theatre. This preliminary coating allows the implant to maintain its bone-promoting properties while enabling surgeons to shape and bend the wire mesh during surgery without worrying about powder loss, as the coating is already firmly attached.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP2544627B1Implants for correcting tissue defects

Publication Date: 2018.05.02 OSSDSIGN

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AI summary

The present invention relates to mosaic implant (15) comprising a plurality of mosaic plates (17) connected by a wire or mesh anchoring arrangement (9). Methods for forming such implants and methods for using said implants for correction of bone and soft tissue defects are described.