Spinal Buttress Plate with Annular Lip and Teeth for Graft Fixation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current spinal grafting materials often migrate from their intended site, leading to complications such as joint incongruity, arthritis, stiffness, pain, and the need for additional surgical procedures, due to lack of secure fixation.
Innovation Solution
A spinal buttress plate with an annular lip and teeth designed for secure attachment to vertebrae using self-tapping or self-starting screws, which deform the softer material of the plate to prevent screw backout, providing stable support for bone grafts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If grafting material is used to support bone fragments, then bone healing is promoted and structural support is provided, but the grafting material may migrate from its intended site causing complications
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a buttress plate as an intermediary device between the grafting material and the vertebral body. The plate provides mechanical stabilization and prevents graft migration while allowing the biological healing process to proceed. The plate acts as a mediator that translates the need for structural support into a mechanical solution without interfering with the biological functions of bone healing.
Solution Approach 2:
The buttress plate is designed with segmented features including multiple teeth that engage with the vertebral body, a ledge for graft support, and an annular lip for screw fixation. This segmentation allows each feature to perform a specific function: the teeth provide anchorage, the ledge supports the graft, and the annular lip secures the plate to the vertebra, collectively preventing migration while maintaining reliability.
2Strength
If the annular lip material is softer than the screw material, then the screw can deform the annular lip for secure attachment, but the plate material must be sufficiently soft to allow deformation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by making the annular lip region softer than the screw material, while the rest of the plate maintains appropriate strength for structural support. This localized softness allows the annular lip to deform and conform to the screw threads, creating a secure mechanical interlock, while other portions of the plate retain the rigidity needed for overall structural integrity and load bearing.
Data Source
AI summary
A spinal buttress plate includes a body having a top surface and a bottom surface and including an annular lip, a ledge, and a pair of teeth. The annular lip defines an opening. The annular lip and the opening are adapted to engage a screw for facilitating the securement of the buttress plate to one or more vertebrae. The ledge defines an aperture. The ledge and aperture are adapted to engage an instrument for positioning the buttress plate adjacent a spinal bone graft. The teeth are disposed in spaced-apart relation on the bottom surface of the body and are positionable within the one or more vertebrae.