Segmented Bone Graft Cage for Deformable Containment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Bone grafts often fail to remain in place at target sites during healing due to the lack of a containment device, leading to ineffective integration with the surrounding bone.
Innovation Solution
A deformable bone graft containment device composed of interconnected cage segments that can be adjusted to fit specific bone spaces, allowing for the secure placement and fixation of bone graft material within channels, using flexible connections and slots to accommodate various bone geometries.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a rigid containment device is used to hold bone graft, then the graft is secured in place, but the device cannot adapt to various bone geometries and target spaces
Solution Approach 1:
The containment device is divided into multiple cage segments that can move relative to one another through connections permitting movement. This segmentation allows the device to deform from a straight initial configuration to curved configurations that adapt to various bone geometries while maintaining graft containment through the continuous channel structure across all segments.
Solution Approach 2:
The device transitions from a static rigid structure to a dynamic deformable structure. The connections between cage segments permit movement, enabling the device to change shape from straight to curved configurations. This dynamic capability allows adaptation to different target spaces while the channels remain aligned to maintain graft containment.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a deformable structure is used to adapt to bone geometries, then adaptability is improved, but the structural stability and graft containment may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The device is segmented into multiple cage segments, each containing a channel. The connections between segments permit movement to enable deformation, while the segmented design allows each segment to maintain its channel structure independently, ensuring continuous graft containment capability across the entire device during and after deformation.
Solution Approach 2:
The connections between cage segments function as flexible elements that permit movement while maintaining structural integrity. These flexible connections allow the device to deform to various configurations without compromising the rigid channel structures within each segment, ensuring graft containment is maintained despite overall device deformability.
3Manufacturing precision
If a custom-fit device is created for each patient's bone geometry, then precision is improved, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The device uses standardized cage segments that can be assembled in different configurations. Rather than manufacturing entirely custom devices, the segmented modular design allows a single standardized component to be adapted to various geometries through different assembly configurations, reducing manufacturing complexity while maintaining precise fit capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The deformable connection system allows a single device design to dynamically adapt to different target spaces. Instead of requiring multiple custom-designed devices for different geometries, the dynamic structure enables one standardized device to be configured appropriately for each patient's specific bone geometry through controlled deformation.
Data Source
AI summary
A bone graft containment device includes a plurality of cage segments connected to one another along a longitudinal axis, each of the cage segments connected to an adjacent one of the cage segments via a connection which permits movement of the cage segments relative to one another so that the bone graft containment device is deformable to a desired configuration for placement within a target space of a bone, each cage segment extending along from a first end to a second end and including a channel extending therethrough so that channels of the plurality of cage segments, in an initial configuration, are aligned along the longitudinal axis, the channels configured to be packed with a bone graft material.