Multi-Link Spinal Fixation System with Slotted End Caps
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing spinal treatment systems face challenges when dealing with non-linear alignment of vertebrae, leading to issues such as screw or bolt misalignment, high stress regions, and potential fractures or nerve root injuries, and require extensive dismantling to add new links for extending the treatment system.
Innovation Solution
A multi-link spinal treatment system with interconnected linking members and bone or pedicle fasteners that allow for non-axial removal and addition of new links, using slotted apertured ends and end caps to facilitate easy extension of the system without excessive dismantling, providing a rigid framework for vertebrae fixation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the plate is contoured in the frontal plane to line the screws up with the plate openings, then the alignment between screws and plate openings is improved, but the complexity of the plate and the difficulty of intraoperative adjustment increase due to the thickness and high strength of the plate
Solution Approach 1:
The plate is divided into multiple segments or modules that can be independently adjusted. Each segment can be contoured or positioned separately to accommodate non-collinear screw entries, allowing precise alignment without requiring the entire plate to be complexly contoured. This segmentation reduces the overall complexity while maintaining alignment precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The plate incorporates adjustable or movable elements that allow intraoperative repositioning of segments. This dynamic capability enables the surgeon to adjust the plate configuration during surgery to match the actual anatomical anatomy, achieving precise alignment without pre-contouring the entire plate, thus reducing manufacturing and intraoperative complexity.
2Manufacturing precision
If the screws or bolts are bent to fit in the slots or openings in the plate, then the alignment between screws and plate openings is improved, but high stress regions are created which can cause screw failure or bone fracture
Solution Approach 1:
The plate is segmented into multiple adjustable segments that can be independently positioned. This allows the plate to accommodate non-collinear screw entries without requiring the screws to be bent, as each segment can be aligned independently with its corresponding screw entry points, eliminating stress concentration at bend locations.
Solution Approach 2:
The plate incorporates adjustable parameters such as movable segments or repositionable elements that allow the plate configuration to be changed during surgery. This enables the plate to adapt to non-collinear screw entries without bending the screws, maintaining screw integrity and avoiding the creation of high stress regions that could lead to screw failure or bone fracture.
3Manufacturing precision
If the screws or bolts are placed in a less than optimum position or trajectory to line up with the plate openings, then the alignment between screws and plate openings is improved, but the risk of pedicle or vertebrae fractures and nerve root injury increases
Solution Approach 1:
The plate is divided into multiple independently adjustable segments. This segmentation allows each segment to be precisely aligned with its corresponding screw entry points on the vertebrae, enabling optimal screw placement trajectories that avoid harmful structures while maintaining alignment with the plate openings.
Solution Approach 2:
The plate incorporates dynamic or adjustable elements that allow intraoperative repositioning to achieve optimal screw placement. This dynamic capability enables the surgeon to adjust the plate configuration during surgery to match the actual anatomical anatomy, ensuring screws are placed in the safest trajectory possible while maintaining alignment, thereby reducing the risk of pedicle fractures and nerve root injury.
4Stability of the object's composition
If the locking nuts are tightened to secure the linking members, then the rigid framework for vertebrae fixation is improved, but the time required for manipulation and extension of the system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The spinal treatment system is divided into modular linking members that can be independently added or removed. This segmentation allows for quick extension of the system by simply adding new modules without requiring extensive manipulation or dismantling of the existing rigid framework, thus maintaining stability while reducing manipulation time.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates adjustable or easily modifiable components that allow rapid extension. The linking members are designed with features that enable quick attachment and detachment, allowing the rigid framework to be extended by adding new segments without requiring time-consuming manipulation or dismantling of the existing structure.
Data Source
AI summary
A multi-link bone fixation assembly and method having interconnected longitudinal linking members, end caps and locknuts, and possibly transverse linking members, all disposed on implanted bone fasteners, the assembly providing a rigid, fixed ladder or frame to preclude relative movement between vertebrae or bone. At least two of the end caps and both ends of at least one of the transverse linking members are slotted such that, in the event a previously implanted assembly needs to be lengthened, additional bone fasteners are implanted, and the end caps and/or transverse linking members are removed from the assembly in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the bone fastener by loosening rather than removing the locknuts from the bone fasteners. The new longitudinal linking members are then inserted onto the bone fasteners in a direction perpendicular to the axis and the locknuts are tightened to secure the now-extended assembly.