Oblique Lateral Intervertebral Cage for Safer Spinal Insertion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cage insertion methods through the anterior, direct lateral, or posterior aspects of the spine pose risks of damaging organs, muscles, and nerves due to the need for complex maneuvers that require skilled specialists and increased surgical difficulty.
Innovation Solution
A cage designed for oblique lateral insertion forming a predetermined angle with the anterior aspect of the spine, featuring a specific shape and inclined surfaces to facilitate correct placement and minimize tissue interference, accompanied by a position detector for precise positioning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the cage is inserted through the anterior aspect, then the vertebral body space can be accessed, but organs and blood vessels must be moved or pulled, increasing surgical risk and difficulty
Solution Approach 1:
The cage is designed with an oblique insertion angle (25-65 degrees relative to the anterior aspect) that changes the insertion dimension, allowing the surgeon to access the vertebral body space while avoiding direct contact with anterior organs and blood vessels by approaching from an angled trajectory rather than a straight anterior path
2Ease of operation
If the cage is inserted through the posterior aspect, then the vertebral body space can be accessed, but muscles and nerves are at risk of damage and vertebra removal is required
Solution Approach 1:
The oblique lateral insertion angle provides an alternative dimensional approach that bypasses the posterior muscular and neural structures, allowing access to the vertebral body space without requiring vertebra removal or causing damage to posterior soft tissues
3Ease of operation
If the cage is inserted through the direct lateral aspect, then the vertebral body space can be accessed, but psoas muscles and leg nerves must be split, causing muscle and nerve damage
Solution Approach 1:
By changing the insertion angle to oblique (25-65 degrees from anterior) rather than direct lateral, the surgical path passes above the psoas muscles and leg nerves, allowing access to the vertebral body space without splitting or damaging these critical structures
4Manufacturing precision
If a conventional cage structure is used with oblique lateral insertion, then the insertion angle can be formed, but the cage must be rotated after insertion, increasing surgical difficulty
Solution Approach 1:
The cage features an asymmetric design with a front surface and a rear surface, where the rear surface has a greater area than the front surface. This asymmetry, combined with inclined surfaces on the outer peripheral surface, allows the cage to be inserted in the correct orientation at the oblique angle without requiring rotation, as the asymmetric geometry guides proper placement
Data Source
AI summary
A cage to be inserted between vertebrae reduces a risk of damage to organs and nerves in the process of insertion surgery and facilitates the process of insertion surgery. The cage can be inserted in one insertion direction between a plurality of vertebrae, wherein the insertion direction forms a predetermined insertion angle with respect to the anterior aspect of the spine, and an upper surface and a lower surface of the cage are provided to correspond to a lower surface and an upper surface of the vertebrae. Also, the cage is stably fixed, and side effects after surgery is reduced. Also, the surgery time is reduced, and a burden on the patient is reduced. In addition, advantages of anterior insertion and direct lateral insertion are combined, and thus post-surgery outcomes in patients may be improved.