Osteosynthesis Bone Plate Radially Expandable Protrusions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing bone plate fixation devices often experience loosening under increased forces and loads due to the lack of a stable angular connection between anchoring elements and the bone plate, leading to instability in osteosynthesis procedures.
Innovation Solution
A bone plate with a radially expandable through opening featuring elastically deformable protrusions that compress radially to securely lock anchoring elements, such as bone screws, allowing for angular stability and non-positive connections to accommodate screws with varying diameters and head shapes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a bone screw is fixed to a bone plate using a plate bore, then the fixation is achieved, but increasing forces and loads may result in loosening of the fixation
Solution Approach 1:
The bone plate incorporates radially expandable protrusions that can dynamically adjust their diameter. During insertion, the protrusions are compressed to a smaller diameter to facilitate screw passage. Once the screw is in place, the protrusions expand radially to lock the screw head securely, preventing loosening under increased forces and loads. This dynamic size change enables the fixation system to adapt from an insertion-friendly state to a load-bearing locked state.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical parameter of the protrusions' diameter. The protrusions are designed to change their radial dimension from a compressed state (smaller diameter) during insertion to an expanded state (larger diameter) during locking. This parameter change allows the same structure to perform both insertion facilitation and secure locking functions, resolving the contradiction between initial fixation ease and long-term fixation stability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If anchoring elements are fixed at a fixed angle in the bone plate, then the structure is simple, but the surgeon cannot choose the optimal insertion angle
Solution Approach 1:
The bone plate is segmented into multiple functional zones: fixed-angle regions for structural stability and radially expandable protrusions for angular adaptability. The protrusions can be independently compressed and expanded, allowing the screw to be inserted at various angles relative to the plate axis. This segmentation enables the plate to provide both structural rigidity and angular flexibility without requiring a completely complex redesign of the entire device.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides enhanced stability and secure fixation of bone fragments by allowing for angular adjustment of anchoring elements, preventing loosening under increased forces and loads, thus ensuring long-term bony purchase without loss of fixation.
Implementation Method 1
the protrusions are elastically deformable
Data Source
AI summary
A device for osteosynthesis includes a body having a proximal surface, a distal surface configured and dimensioned to face a target portion of bone over which the body is to be mounted and a through opening extending through the body from the proximal surface to the distal surface along a central axis. The through hole includes a first protrusion extending from an inner surface thereof toward the central axis. The first protrusion is biased toward an unstressed state in which the first protrusion extends into the through opening to a first distance from the central axis. The first protrusion is movable toward the inner surface when subjected to a force directed outward from the central axis.