Spinal Operation Guider for Safe Cage Placement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current spinal operation cages have a low fusion rate due to subsidence phenomena and pose challenges during insertion, especially when approaching anterior vertebrae, which are near major blood vessels, requiring skilled surgeons and risking tissue injury.
Innovation Solution
A guider for spinal operations that includes a sliding portion with a support and handle, guiding a wide-type cage with a streamlined design and mesh surface, allowing safe insertion posterior to vertebrae, reducing tissue injury and facilitating cage placement between vertebrae.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If a cage with smaller size than surgical site is used, then the cage can be inserted into the surgical site, but it causes subsidence phenomenon and has low fusion rate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the size parameter of the cage from smaller than the surgical site to larger than the surgical site. This parameter change eliminates the subsidence phenomenon and increases the fusion rate by providing sufficient contact area with the vertebral bodies while maintaining proper positioning through the guider device.
2Ease of operation
If the cage is caused to approach anterior vertebrae, then the cage can be placed between vertebrae, but it increases operational burden due to proximity to major blood vessels
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the traditional approach by guiding the cage to approach the posterior vertebrae instead of the anterior vertebrae. This reversal avoids the major blood vessels located in the anterior region, reducing operational burden and risk while still achieving proper cage placement between the vertebrae through the holder device.
3Ease of manufacture
If traditional cage insertion method is used, then the cage can be placed between vertebrae, but it may cause injury to tissue of surgically incised region
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a guider device as an intermediary between the surgical incision and the cage insertion path. This intermediary guides the holder with the cage along a safe posterior trajectory, preventing direct contact with and injury to the tissue of the surgically incised region while maintaining procedural simplicity.
4Device complexity
If cage insertion is performed without guider, then the procedure is simpler, but it makes successful operation difficult even for experienced surgeons
Solution Approach 1:
The guider serves as a mediating device that provides a predetermined safe insertion path for the holder and cage. By introducing this intermediary guidance structure, the patent increases the reliability and success rate of the operation, making it accessible to surgeons with varying levels of experience while maintaining reasonable device complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
Proposed are a guider for a spinal operation and a cage therefor. The guider includes a sliding portion configured to guide a cage for a spinal operation and a holder to a surgical site, a head of the sliding portion being inserted into a human body region where a surgical incision is made for the spinal operation, and the cage for a spinal operation being combined with the holder; a support portion combined with one side of the sliding portion and thus supporting the sliding portion; and a handle combined with the support portion.