Spinal Implant With Integrated Bone Cement Injection Unit

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing spinal fusion implants face challenges in maintaining a fixed state without relative movement with respect to vertebral bodies until fusion is complete, which can lead to instability and incomplete fusion.

Innovation Solution

The implant includes an implant body inserted between vertebral bodies and an injection unit that accurately injects bone cement into the vertebral bodies using a digger with outlet ports, ensuring initial fixation and stability.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If an implant is inserted between vertebral bodies without additional fixation mechanisms, then the surgical procedure is simple and quick, but the implant cannot maintain a fixed state without relative movement with respect to vertebral bodies until fusion is complete

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinitial fixation stabilityVSAvoidimplant structure complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines the implant body with an integrated injection unit that includes a digger and bone cement reservoir. This merging of functions (structural support + fixation mechanism + bone cement delivery) into a single integrated device provides reliable initial fixation while maintaining relative surgical simplicity, resolving the contradiction between fixation stability and device complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The implant is designed with a digger that can be rotated to dig into the vertebral body endplate before bone cement injection. This preliminary mechanical engagement creates initial fixation stability, and the subsequent bone cement injection reinforces this fixation, ensuring the implant maintains a fixed state without relative movement until fusion is complete.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Force

If bone cement is injected into vertebral bodies, then initial fixation force is enhanced, but there is a risk of bone cement leaking into surrounding tissues causing harmful effects

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinitial fixation forceVSAvoidbone cement leakage risk

Core Design Contradiction:

ForceVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The digger acts as an intermediary structure between the implant and vertebral body. It creates a controlled pathway and containment structure within the vertebral body endplate, guiding the bone cement injection and preventing leakage into surrounding tissues while ensuring adequate fixation force is achieved.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The injection unit is designed to deliver bone cement to specific localized areas within the vertebral body through controlled pathways. This localized injection approach ensures high fixation force at the implant-vertebra interface while minimizing the risk of bone cement leakage into surrounding tissues, addressing the contradiction between fixation strength and leakage prevention.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentUS12201532B2Implant having enhanced initial fixation force

Publication Date: 2025.01.21 INTERDIGITAL VC HLDG FRANCE SAS

AI summary

The present invention provides an implant having an enhanced initial fixation force, and more particularly, to an implant that may maintain a fixed state without relative movement with respect to vertebral bodies until fusion is completely performed. The implant includes: an implant body inserted between vertebral bodies; and an injection unit installed in the implant body, and configured to inject bone cement into the vertebral bodies.