Spinal Fusion Implant Using Rotating Retention Plates
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current spinal fixation procedures require spinal fusion implants to stabilize adjacent vertebral bodies, but there is no prior art discussing the possibility of achieving spinal fixation without these implants, limiting the surgical approach and fusion process.
Innovation Solution
A novel spinal fusion implant with an adjustable interconnecting member and retention plates that can be inserted from a single side, allowing for fusion without a main body implant, using a telescoping design and retention plates to stabilize vertebral bodies through rotational alignment and convergence.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional spinal fusion implants with main bodies are used to stabilize adjacent vertebral bodies, then spinal fixation and stabilization are achieved, but the procedure requires incisions on both sides of the spine and involves more invasive surgery
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and removes the main body component from the traditional spinal fusion implant, retaining only the retention plates and interconnecting member. This extraction allows the implant to be inserted through a single incision while still achieving the necessary stabilization function through the retention plates engaging with the vertebral bodies.
Solution Approach 2:
The implant is segmented into separate functional components: retention plates that engage with vertebral bodies and an interconnecting member that provides structural support. This segmentation allows the retention plates to be positioned on adjacent vertebral bodies while the interconnecting member bridges between them, achieving stabilization without requiring a continuous main body spanning the entire disc space.
2Reliability
If spinal fusion implants are used to stabilize adjacent vertebral bodies, then fusion is achieved, but the procedure is more invasive requiring incisions on both sides of the spine
Solution Approach 1:
By removing the main body component, the invention reduces the surgical invasion required for implantation while maintaining the essential stabilization function through the retention plates that directly engage with the vertebral bodies, thereby achieving reliable fusion with minimal invasiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The interconnecting member acts as an intermediary element that connects the retention plates on adjacent vertebral bodies, providing structural support and maintaining spacing without requiring direct contact with the disc space or soft tissues that would necessitate bilateral incisions.
3Stability of the object's composition
If traditional fusion implants are used, then vertebral bodies are stabilized, but the implant structure requires a main body that occupies the disc space
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the main body from the implant structure, eliminating the need for a large-volume component occupying the disc space. The stabilization function is achieved instead through the retention plates that engage with the vertebral bodies and the interconnecting member that bridges between them, significantly reducing the overall implant volume.
Solution Approach 2:
By segmenting the implant into retention plates and an interconnecting member, the invention achieves vertebral stabilization without requiring a continuous large-volume main body. The retention plates are positioned on the vertebral bodies while the interconnecting member provides structural support, creating a distributed rather than concentrated volume distribution.
Data Source
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AI summary
A device for insertion into a gap between adjacent, spaced apart bony elements includes an adjustable length interconnecting member having a distal and a proximal retention plate secured to opposite ends of the interconnecting member. The distal retention plate has a non- rotated position and a plurality of rotated positions. The non-rotated position aligns the distal retention plate with the gap prior to and during insertion of the distal retention plate into the gap. The distal retention plate is rotated after it has exited the gap on a distal side of the gap to prevent its return into the gap. The proximal retention plate is misaligned with the gap so that it cannot enter into the gap. The rotated distal retention plate cooperates with the proximal retention plate to hold bony elements such as adjacent vertebral bodies in a stable relationship to one another when the interconnecting member is shortened.