Segmented Pelvic Bone Plate with Angled Apertures

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing pelvic and scapular bone plate implants face challenges in accurately contouring and fitting large-area bones due to their rigidity, particularly in areas like the quadrilateral surface of the pelvis, which can lead to suboptimal fits and difficulties in buttressing comminuted fractures.

Innovation Solution

A bone plate design featuring multiple interconnected plate portions with angled apertures and a monolithic construction from implant-grade stainless steel or titanium, allowing for pre-bending to conform to arcuate bone surfaces and providing a stable, flexible fit with a handle for easy insertion.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If rigid metallic plates are used for fracture fixation, then the fractured bone can heal in the proper position with minimized motion, but the plates must be contoured to the surface shape of the bone which is difficult and time-consuming

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefracture healing position stabilityVSAvoidplate contouring difficulty
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The bone plate is designed with a material interconnection that allows the flap portion to be bent relative to the outer frame portion, transforming the plate from a completely rigid structure to one with controlled flexibility. This enables the plate to adapt to bone surface contours while maintaining sufficient rigidity for fracture stabilization.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the mechanical parameters of the plate by using a material interconnection with specific bendability characteristics. The flap portion can be bent at angles between 45-135 degrees relative to the outer frame, allowing contour adaptation without compromising the overall structural integrity needed for fracture fixation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Strength

If strong rigid plates are used to carry the load of comminuted bone areas, then the bone can heal properly, but the plates require precise contouring to fit the bone surface which increases surgical complexity

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveplate load bearing capacityVSAvoidsurgical procedure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The bone plate is divided into distinct segments: an outer frame portion and a flap portion connected by a material interconnection. This segmentation allows independent positioning and bending of the flap relative to the frame, simplifying the contouring process during surgery while maintaining load-bearing strength through the structured connection.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Stability of the object's composition

If the bone plate has a fixed rigid structure, then it provides stable fracture fixation, but it cannot adapt to variations in bone surface geometry across different patients

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefracture fixation stabilityVSAvoidbone surface contour adaptation
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The material interconnection provides controlled flexibility that allows the flap portion to be bent to match various bone surface geometries. This dynamic capability enables adaptation to different patient anatomies while the outer frame and flap maintain sufficient rigidity when positioned to provide stable fracture fixation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentEP3485829B1Pelvic bone plate
Publication Date: 2022.05.11 STRYKER EUROPEAN OPERATIONS HOLDINGS LLC
  • EP3485829B1 patent drawingFigure 1~3
  • EP3485829B1 patent drawingFigure 4~5
  • EP3485829B1 patent drawingFigure 6~8

AI summary

A bone plate has a first frame portion with a plurality of apertures. The apertures may have central axes angled with respect to a bone contacting surface adjacent thereto at an angle of other than 90°. The plate has a second plate portion comprising a plurality of apertures therethrough and has a first end connected to the first plate portion. The plate has a third plate portion having first and second ends respectively connected to a second end of the second plate portion and to the first plate portion at a point thereon closer to a center of the first plate portion than the first end of the second plate portion to the first plate portion. The first, second and third plate portions having an arcuate shape capable of conforming to an arcuate bone surface, the bone contacting surface forming a concave portion of the arcuate shape.