Self-Deploying Anchors for Interbody Vertebral Prostheses
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional intervertebral discal cages face challenges in secure anchoring due to difficult screw trajectories, potential irritation to vessels and soft tissues, and slippage under natural spinal stresses, especially at complex anatomical regions like L4-L5-S1.
Innovation Solution
A stand-alone intervertebral device with self-contained anchoring elements that deploy via a drive mechanism, pushing out through apertures without rotating, to securely anchor into vertebral bones, reducing the complexity of screw placement and minimizing tissue irritation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional screw trajectories are used for anchoring intervertebral devices, then secure fixation can be achieved, but the complexity of screw placement increases and tissue irritation risk rises
Solution Approach 1:
The device divides the anchoring function into separate components: the interbody cage and self-contained anchoring elements. The anchoring elements are segmented from the main device body and deployed independently through apertures, allowing simplified placement without complex screw trajectories while maintaining secure fixation to adjacent vertebral bodies
Solution Approach 2:
The anchoring elements are pre-positioned within the device body in a retracted state before implantation. After the device is placed in the intervertebral space, the anchoring elements are then deployed forward through apertures to engage the vertebral bodies, performing the anchoring action in a predetermined sequence that reduces placement complexity
2Reliability
If conventional screw trajectories are used for anchoring, then secure fixation can be achieved, but tissue irritation and vessel damage risk increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of projecting anchoring elements backward from the posterior aspect of the device (which would require complex trajectories and risk tissue damage), the invention inverts the deployment direction by projecting anchoring elements forward through apertures in the anterior or lateral walls of the device body, achieving secure fixation with simpler, safer trajectories
Solution Approach 2:
The device body acts as an intermediary structure that houses and controls the deployment of anchoring elements. The apertures in the device body serve as controlled exit points that guide the anchoring elements into the vertebral bodies along predetermined safe paths, mediating between the anchoring function and tissue protection
3Reliability
If secondary anchoring elements are added to initial devices, then fixation security improves, but device complexity and surgical steps increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the interbody cage and anchoring elements into a single integrated device. The anchoring elements are contained within the device body and deployed simultaneously with the device placement, eliminating the need for separate secondary anchoring procedures and reducing overall surgical complexity while maintaining secure fixation
Solution Approach 2:
The device body serves multiple functions: it acts as both the interbody spacer/cage and the housing for anchoring elements. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate anchoring devices and procedures, reducing surgical steps while achieving secure fixation through the integrated anchoring system
Data Source
AI summary
An intervertebral prosthesis includes: a body; a first aperture extending from within the body and opening; a first anchoring element disposed within the first aperture and including a shaft having proximal and distal ends, where the proximal end of the first anchoring element includes a first portion of a first articulation mechanism; and a drive mechanism having: (i) a threaded shaft defining a longitudinal axis thereof and a head at a proximal end of the threaded shaft, (ii) a translator element having a threaded bore in threaded engagement with the threaded shaft.