Spinal Cage with Detachable Titanium Covers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing spinal complex cages face issues with material damage, positioning accuracy, and spinal fusion assessment due to their material properties, with PEEK cages being prone to damage and titanium cages causing vertebral deformation and subsidence, and lacking radiopacity for fusion determination.
Innovation Solution
A spinal complex cage composed of a polymeric material cage with detachably coupled metal covers, featuring a porous titanium structure for enhanced bone integration and radiopacity, allowing for adjustable fit and precise surgical application.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If PEEK material is used for the cage, then radiotransparency is achieved allowing CT imaging, but the material is prone to damage during insertion
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses a composite structure combining PEEK material with a titanium marker. The PEEK cage body provides radiotransparency for CT imaging, while the titanium marker embedded within it provides enhanced structural durability and resistance to damage during insertion. This composite approach allows both radiotransparency and material reliability to coexist.
2Loss of information
If titanium marker is inserted into PEEK cage for positioning, then cage position can be ascertained in CT, but exact position determination remains difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The invention enhances the titanium marker with a radiopaque coating or structure that creates a distinct visual contrast in CT images. This allows the marker to not only be visible but to provide clear, precise positional information that can be easily located and measured, improving both position information visibility and measurement precision.
3Strength
If titanium cage is used, then structural strength is provided, but vertebral bodies deform or subsidence occurs due to high elastic modulus
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies local quality by using PEEK material for the main cage body where flexibility and biocompatibility are needed to prevent vertebral deformation, while strategically placing titanium markers only where structural reinforcement and radiopacity are required. This localized application of different material properties provides necessary strength without causing harmful vertebral body deformation.
4Ease of manufacture
If fixed size and shape spinal composite implant is used, then manufacturing is simplified, but the implant cannot be quickly adapted to different vertebral body shapes and intervals
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the spinal implant into modular components including the PEEK cage body and separate titanium markers. This segmentation allows the basic cage structure to be manufactured in standard sizes while enabling surgeons to adjust and customize the implant configuration intraoperatively by repositioning or removing markers, thus maintaining manufacturing simplicity while improving adaptability to different vertebral body shapes and intervals.
5Ease of manufacture
If metal layer is formed in flat plate shape, then manufacturing is simplified, but the implant cannot be securely fixed between vertebral bodies
Solution Approach 1:
The invention transitions from a flat plate metal layer to a three-dimensional titanium marker structure with curved or geometric features that can interlock with the PEEK cage and engage with vertebral bone surfaces. This curved/three-dimensional structure provides mechanical interlocking and secure fixation while remaining compatible with standard manufacturing processes.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides a composite material spinal complex cage that is biocompatible, supports vertebral stability, facilitates accurate surgical placement, and enhances spinal fusion rates through improved bone integration and radiographic assessment.
Implementation Method 1
a porous titanium structure for enhanced bone integration
Implementation Method 2
metal covers which are made of metal and formed on upper and lower portions of the cage, respectively... radiopacity, allowing for adjustable fit and precise surgical application
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a spinal complex cage, which includes a cage which is made of a polymeric material, and metal covers which are formed on upper and lower portions of the cage, respectively, in which couplers formed on the metal covers are coupled to coupling grooves formed in the cage, such that the metal covers are detachably coupled to the upper and lower portions of the cage. Accordingly, because the cage and the metal cover are detachably coupled to each other, the manufacturing method is simple, and the metal cover is easily coupled to or separated from the cage, such that the spinal complex cage may be variously and quickly applied even during the surgery in accordance with shapes or intervals between the vertebral bodies, and as a result, a spinal fusion rate is excellent, and the accurate and precise surgical operation is enabled.