Vertebral Endplate Implant with Expandable Bag Fixation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for connecting medical implants to vertebral endplates often require significant surgical manipulation and disruption of surrounding tissues, lacking effective fixation solutions with minimal disruption.
Innovation Solution
The development of an implant with a nozzle that penetrates the vertebral endplate and a expandable bag that receives a fill material to expand within the vertebra, providing stabilization and fixation with minimal surgical intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If traditional connection methods (screws, spikes, teeth, keels, penetrations) are used to connect implants to vertebral endplates, then fixation strength is improved, but surgical manipulation and tissue disruption increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the harmful penetrating elements (screws, spikes, teeth, keels) from the implant design, replacing them with a smooth outer surface that does not require penetration or significant manipulation of the vertebral endplate, thereby eliminating tissue disruption while maintaining fixation through the expandable bag mechanism
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an expandable bag as an intermediary element between the implant and the vertebral endplate. This bag, when expanded with fill material, provides a stable interface that achieves fixation without requiring direct mechanical penetration or manipulation of the bone, thus resolving the contradiction between strong fixation and minimal tissue disruption
2Stability of the object's composition
If traditional fasteners and techniques are used for endplate connection, then fixation stability is improved, but surgical complexity and manipulation increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a dynamic expandable bag that transitions from a collapsed delivery state to an expanded deployed state. This dynamic mechanism allows the implant to be inserted through a simple aperture and then expanded within the vertebra to achieve stable fixation, significantly reducing surgical complexity compared to traditional fastening techniques
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes a nested structure where the expandable bag is contained within the implant housing during delivery, and the fill material is contained within the bag. This nested design allows for compact delivery through minimal apertures while enabling complex expansion and stabilization functions once deployed, reducing overall surgical complexity
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution achieves stable fixation of the implant to the vertebra with minimal tissue disruption, allowing for effective vertebral body replacement and spinal stabilization while reducing surgical complexity.
Implementation Method 1
introducing a fill material into the bag to expand the bag through the vertebral endplate aperture and into a vertebra
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of the invention include implants and methods for connecting devices to bones, such as one or more endplates of vertebrae. Devices may include mechanisms for connecting to one or more vertebrae by extending portions of the devices through an aperture in a vertebral implant and expanding the implant within the one or more vertebrae. A fill material may be used to drive the expansion in some embodiments.