Spinal Implant Screw Capture for Secure Minimally Invasive Fixation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing surgical treatments for spinal disorders, such as degenerative disc disease and osteoporosis, often fail to provide effective stabilization and decompression, particularly in minimally invasive procedures, and existing instruments struggle to securely engage and retain bone screws during implantation.
Innovation Solution
A spinal implant system comprising a bone screw with an abutment and peripheral capture elements, and a surgical driver with a moveable arm, allowing secure engagement and retention of the bone screw during implantation, facilitating procedures like laminoplasty.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If existing surgical instruments are used to engage bone screws, then the procedure can be performed, but the instruments struggle to securely engage and retain bone screws during implantation
Solution Approach 1:
The surgical instrument is divided into separate functional components: a drive portion for engaging the bone screw and a retention portion with capture elements that hold the screw in place. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function effectively, with the retention portion ensuring secure engagement while the drive portion facilitates implantation.
Solution Approach 2:
The bone screw itself serves as an intermediary element with integrated features (abutment and peripheral capture elements) that mediate between the surgical instrument and the spinal construct. The capture elements on the screw engage with corresponding features on the spinal construct, providing reliable retention while allowing the instrument to perform the implantation procedure.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If minimally invasive surgical techniques are used, then tissue damage is reduced, but existing instruments fail to provide effective stabilization and decompression
Solution Approach 1:
The surgical instrument is designed with a nested structure where the drive portion and retention portion are integrated within a compact configuration. The bone screw with its capture elements is inserted through a small incision and nested within the spinal construct, allowing minimally invasive delivery while maintaining effective stabilization and decompression capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The retention portion of the surgical instrument includes moveable arms with capture elements that can dynamically adjust to engage with the bone screw and spinal construct. This dynamic mechanism allows the instrument to provide effective stabilization and decompression while maintaining a minimally invasive approach, as the moveable components adapt to the anatomical structures during the procedure.
3Stability of the object's composition
If plates and bone fasteners are used to provide stability, then proper alignment is restored, but the delivery and engagement process is complex
Solution Approach 1:
The surgical instrument merges the delivery function and engagement function into a single integrated tool. The drive portion and retention portion are combined in one instrument, allowing the surgeon to deliver the bone screw and engage it with the spinal construct in a single procedure step, thereby simplifying the overall delivery and engagement process while maintaining stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The surgical instrument is designed with multi-functionality, serving both as a delivery tool and an engagement tool. The same instrument that delivers the bone screw through the incision also engages it with the spinal construct through the retention portion with capture elements. This universal design reduces the number of separate tools needed and simplifies the procedure while ensuring stable fixation.
Data Source
AI summary
A spinal implant includes a first member configured to penetrate tissue and a second member. The second member has an abutment engageable with a surgical instrument and at least one peripheral capture element engageable with a moveable arm of the surgical instrument. Systems, spinal constructs, surgical instruments and methods are disclosed.