Translaminar Pedicle Anchor Suspension for Dynamic Spine Stabilization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional spinal instrumentation for vertebral stabilization, such as pedicle screws and rods, leads to complications like nerve injury, excessive bleeding, prolonged operative time, pedicle screw loosening, and accelerated degeneration of adjacent segments, while maintaining natural spine flexibility and reducing chronic back pain remains a challenge.
Innovation Solution
A translaminar pedicle anchor suspension system (T-PAS) using a pedicle anchor and artificial ligament construct, where a suspension ligament is looped through a transverse tunnel in the lamina and tightened by a pedicle anchor, achieving dynamic stabilization with smaller, less invasive anchors and washers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If conventional pedicle screws and rods are used for vertebral stabilization, then immediate stability is achieved, but nerve injury, excessive bleeding, and prolonged operative time occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces rigid pedicle screws and rods with a flexible artificial ligament construct that dynamically stabilizes the spine. The ligament allows physiological motion while providing stabilization, reducing the harmful effects of rigid fixation on surrounding nerves and tissues.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the essential stabilization function from the complex pedicle screw-rod system and implements it through a simpler pedicle anchor-ligament construct. This simplification reduces operative time and minimizes tissue trauma while maintaining vertebral stability.
2Stability of the object's composition
If rigid spinal instrumentation is used to achieve immediate stability, then vertebral segments are stabilized, but natural flexibility of the spine is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from static rigid fixation to dynamic stabilization using an artificial ligament that can adapt to physiological movements. The ligament maintains vertebral stability while allowing the spine to flex and extend naturally, preserving spinal flexibility and adaptability.
3Stability of the object's composition
If conventional pedicle screws and rods are implanted, then vertebral fusion is facilitated, but bulky implant components cause soft tissue impingement and chronic back pain
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs smaller, less invasive pedicle anchors compared to conventional pedicle screws. These anchors are designed to minimize soft tissue disruption and can be removed if necessary, reducing the risk of chronic pain and soft tissue impingement while still providing adequate stabilization for fusion.
4Stability of the object's composition
If pedicle screws are used for stabilization, then vertebral segments are fixed, but pedicle screw loosening occurs over time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a composite construct combining pedicle anchors with artificial ligament material. This combination provides both initial mechanical stability and biological integration potential, reducing the risk of loosening by distributing loads more physiologically and promoting osseointegration.
Data Source
AI summary
A translaminar pedicle anchor suspension system (referred as T-PAS system) applicable to vertebral surgeries is disclosed. The T-PAS system comprises: at least one pedicle anchor capable of being fixed to a pedicle of a lower vertebral segment, at least one suspension ligament having one end thereof fixed to the pedicle anchor, and at least one washer capable of fixing the other end of the suspension ligament to a contralateral side of a lamina of an upper vertebral segment. By using the suspension ligament to suspend the upper vertebral segment via a tunnel drilled on the lamina, not only the spine can be dynamically stabilized, but also the use of traditional pedicle screws and bone fusion can be avoided.