Adjustable Vertebral Connecting Element Stiffness
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vertebral column stabilization systems require multiple connecting elements with different stiffnesses and dimensions to accommodate varying patient physiologies, making it difficult to adjust mechanical properties post-implantation without replacing the entire element.
Innovation Solution
A connecting element with a partially flexible intermediate section featuring recesses and movement limiting members, allowing for adjustable mechanical properties through the use of filling bodies and stop devices that can be configured to limit or allow compression, flexion, and rotation, enabling surgeons to adapt standard elements during surgery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple connecting elements with different stiffnesses and dimensions are prepared to accommodate varying patient physiologies, then the adaptability to different patient needs is improved, but the device complexity and inventory requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The connecting element incorporates an adjustable stiffness mechanism that allows the mechanical properties to be changed after implantation. The intermediate section can be modified by inserting movement limiting members into recesses, transforming a static connecting element into a dynamic one that can be adapted to different patient needs without requiring multiple pre-configured element types.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention enables changing the stiffness parameter of the connecting element by adding movement limiting members that restrict the movement of the intermediate section. By adjusting the number, position, and configuration of these movement limiting members, the stiffness can be tailored to match specific patient physiology requirements, eliminating the need to maintain inventory of multiple element types with different inherent stiffnesses.
2Manufacturing precision
If the stiffness of the intermediate section is defined by its configuration, then the mechanical properties are determined during manufacturing, but the ability to adjust mechanical properties after implantation is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The connecting element is divided into distinct functional sections: attachment sections for fixed connection and an intermediate section with recesses that can accommodate movement limiting members. This segmentation allows the intermediate section to serve as an adjustable element where stiffness can be modified by adding or removing movement limiting members from the recesses, enabling post-implantation adaptation while maintaining manufacturing precision of the base structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The intermediate section is designed with recesses that allow dynamic adjustment of mechanical properties after implantation. By inserting movement limiting members into these recesses, the stiffness can be increased to match actual patient needs discovered during surgery, transforming a statically configured element into a dynamically adjustable one.
3Device complexity
If a standard connecting element is used for all patients, then the device complexity is reduced, but the ability to meet specific patient needs is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The connecting element is designed as a universal platform with a standardized intermediate section that includes recesses capable of accommodating different configurations of movement limiting members. This universal design allows a single element type to be adapted to meet diverse patient needs by adjusting the number, position, and type of movement limiting members installed, eliminating the need for multiple specialized element types.
Solution Approach 2:
The standardized connecting element allows for parameter changes in stiffness and mechanical properties through the addition of movement limiting members. By modifying the configuration of these members within the recesses of the intermediate section, the element can be customized to meet specific patient requirements while maintaining the same basic device design.
Data Source
AI summary
To improve a connecting element for a stabilization system for the vertebral column, which includes a first attachment section for fixing to a first bone fixation device, a second attachment section for fixing to a second bone fixation device, and an at least partially flexible intermediate section having at least one recess which is open at the sides, that at least one mechanical property of the intermediate section can be individually set in a simple and safe way, at least one movement limiting member is provided, which comprises a filling body and at least one stop device acting parallel or substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis and/or in the circumferential direction, and that the filling body, in a normal position in which no external forces act on the intermediate section, engage at least partially in the at least one recess.