Pedicle Screw Support Unit for Lateral Rod Insertion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional spine fixation apparatuses face challenges during minimum incision surgery, including the risk of pedicle screw separation during implantation, difficulty in determining precise coupling positions due to subcutaneous placement, and the need for skilled operators to manage small incisions, which complicates the insertion of rods into pedicle screws from a lateral approach.
Innovation Solution
A pedicle screw design featuring a support unit connecting first and second sidewalls to prevent rod separation and an indicator protruding from the screw section for precise positioning, along with an operating device comprising a screw coupling rod and rotating member to facilitate easy insertion and removal of the rod, allowing for reduced incision sizes and improved surgical precision.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If the rod is inserted into the pedicle screw from the lateral portion to minimize incision size, then the incision part is reduced, but the rod may be easily separated from the head section before coupling
Solution Approach 1:
The support unit is pre-formed at the upper portion of the recess part before the rod insertion procedure. This preliminary structural preparation ensures that when the rod is inserted laterally, the support unit is already in position to prevent upward separation, thus resolving the reliability issue while maintaining the minimal incision approach
Solution Approach 2:
The support unit acts as an intermediary element between the rod and the head section. It provides mechanical support and prevents direct separation of the rod from the head section, enabling secure rod retention through lateral insertion without requiring enlarged incisions
2Area of stationary object
If the pedicle screw is implanted subcutaneously to minimize incision, then incision size is reduced, but the coupling position becomes difficult to determine
Solution Approach 1:
The indicator protrudes from the screw section to provide visual indication of the coupling position. This visual marker allows the operator to accurately identify the coupling position even when the pedicle screw is implanted subcutaneously, thus maintaining measurement precision while minimizing incision size
3Device complexity
If the rod is inserted from the upper portion of the pedicle screw, then the structure is simple, but elongated incisions are required in the patient's back
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of inserting the rod from the upper portion of the pedicle screw (conventional approach), the invention enables lateral insertion of the rod into the head section. This inverted approach reverses the traditional insertion path, allowing minimal incision surgery while managing complexity through the support unit design
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a spine fixation apparatus, more particularly, a pedicle screw implanted into a spine and an operating device for the pedicle screw capable of easily inserting a rod to a head section of the pedicle screw in order to securely fix the spine. The pedicle screw has a head section including a recess part defined by first and second sidewalls, a screw section, and a support unit formed at an upper portion of the recess part of the head section while connecting the first sidewall to the second sidewall. The operating device has a screw coupling rod having an elongated pipe shape, a body having a first side coupled to the screw coupling rod, a rotating member having a first end coupled to a second side of the body in such a manner that a second end of the rotating member rotates about the first end thereof, and a rod receiver coupled to the second end of the rotating member. Due to the support unit, the rod is prevented from being easily separated from the pedicle screw, thereby facilitating minimum incision surgery. The operating device for the pedicle screw allows an operator to easily perform minimum incision surgery while making several incisions for the pedicle screws and the rod in the back of the patient and keeping the size of incisions quite a small.