Offset Teeth Facet Implant for Spinal Mobility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current therapies for facet joint pain, such as joint replacement and fusion, often compromise spinal mobility and are invasive, failing to adequately address degenerative joint issues and ongoing pain, while minimally invasive solutions like facet capping and stabilization devices face challenges with retention and variability in anatomical morphology.
Innovation Solution
A facet implant system comprising a first and second facet implant component with articulating surfaces and engagement surfaces, featuring offset teeth rows for resistance and conformability, allowing for implantation between superior and inferior facets to restore joint mobility without invasive procedures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If joint replacement or fusion is performed to relieve severe degenerative joint pain, then pain relief is achieved, but spinal mobility is compromised and the procedure is invasive
Solution Approach 1:
The facet joint is divided into two separate implant components (superior and inferior) that articulate with each other, allowing independent positioning and movement of each component while maintaining joint function. This segmentation enables pain relief through joint replacement while preserving mobility through the articulating mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The implant system incorporates dynamic elements including the articulating surfaces that allow relative motion between components, and the offset teeth configuration that provides adaptive engagement. This dynamic design enables the joint to move naturally while maintaining stability, resolving the contradiction between pain relief and mobility preservation.
2Ease of operation
If facet capping or stabilization devices are used as minimally invasive solutions, then invasiveness is reduced, but retention and adaptability to anatomical variability are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The implant components feature localized engagement features (offset teeth) that provide targeted retention at specific locations on the facet surfaces. This local quality approach allows minimally invasive insertion while ensuring reliable retention through localized mechanical interlocking, and adapts to anatomical variability through the offset configuration that can accommodate different joint geometries.
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional facet implants are designed for universal application, then ease of implantation is improved, but adaptability to variability in anatomical morphology is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The implant components employ asymmetric offset teeth configuration where the superior and inferior components have complementary asymmetric features. This asymmetry enables the implants to adapt to the natural asymmetric anatomy of facet joints while maintaining ease of implantation through a standardized insertion procedure. The offset arrangement allows the same basic implant design to accommodate variations in anatomical morphology.
Data Source
AI summary
A facet implant system for implanting between a superior facet and an inferior facet. The facet implant system includes a first facet implant component and a second facet implant component. The first facet implant component has a first articulating surface and a first engagement surface located opposite the first articulating surface. The first facet implant component has a leading edge and a trailing edge. The first facet implant component has teeth that extend from the first engagement surface. The teeth are arranged in a plurality of rows and wherein teeth in adjacent rows are offset from each other. The second facet implant component has a second articulating surface and a second engagement surface located opposite the second articulating surface. The second facet implant component has teeth that extend from the second engagement surface.