Penile Implant Rear Tip Extender With Secure Keyed Attachment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing penile prostheses lack length-adjusting accessories that are easy to attach yet resistant to detaching during explantation, necessitating improved surgical efficiency and customization for individual patient anatomy.
Innovation Solution
A penile implant assembly with a rear tip extender (RTE) featuring a key and cavity mechanism that ensures secure attachment and resistance to detachment, allowing for easy adjustment and durable connection during surgical procedures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a rear tip extender is attached to the penile implant, then the effective implanted length is adjusted to fit individual patient anatomy, but the attachment mechanism must be both easy to attach and resistant to detaching during explantation
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment mechanism is divided into separate components: a key with paddle attached to the penile implant, and a cavity with slot in the rear tip extender. This segmentation allows for easy alignment and attachment while maintaining secure connection. The key can be easily inserted into the cavity, and the paddle engages with the slot to prevent detachment.
Solution Approach 2:
The key is inserted within the cavity, and the paddle is received within the slot, creating a nested structure. The paddle fits inside the slot space, and the key fits inside the cavity, providing a compact and secure attachment that is both easy to attach and resistant to detachment.
2Reliability
If a secure attachment mechanism is used to prevent detachment, then the connection is durable, but the attachment process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The secure attachment is achieved through segmented components (key, paddle, cavity, slot) that work together simply. Each component has a specific function: the key provides the attachment interface, the paddle engages the slot for security, and the cavity houses the key. This segmentation maintains reliability while avoiding excessive complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The attachment mechanism is self-aligning and self-securing. When the key is inserted into the cavity, the paddle automatically engages with the slot through the rotation motion, creating a secure connection without requiring additional fastening steps or complex mechanisms. The design itself provides the security feature.
3Reliability
If the paddle is captured between the proximal and distal walls upon rotation, then the connection resists detachment, but the attachment requires rotational motion which may increase surgical time
Solution Approach 1:
The key and cavity are pre-configured with complementary geometries (paddle shape matching slot shape, key shape matching cavity shape) so that when the key is inserted and rotated, the paddle automatically engages with the slot and gets captured between the walls. This preliminary configuration ensures that the rotational motion directly results in secure capture without requiring additional steps or adjustments during surgery.
Data Source
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AI summary
A penile implant assembly has a rear tip extender (RTE) attachable to a penile implant. The penile implant has a key including a paddle connected to a post, where the paddle has a proximal face and a distal face. The RTE has an opening including a slot communicating with a cavity, where the cavity is bounded by a proximal RTE wall and a distal RTE wall. When the key is inserted into the opening of the RTE the paddle is received within the cavity, and rotation of the RTE compresses the distal RTE wall against the distal face of the paddle to draw the RTE toward the penile implant.