Adjustable Vertebral Implant Alignment for Spinal Deformity Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current spinal correction treatments for degenerative conditions such as degenerative scoliosis and degenerative disc disease often result in poor outcomes, deformity progression, and the need for additional surgeries due to inadequate addressing of facet joint subluxation and vertebral body microfractures, leading to adjacent level disease.
Innovation Solution
A vertebral implant system comprising adjustable staples and vertical members, which can be adjusted using percutaneous puncture or electromagnetic mechanisms, to correct both coronal and sagittal deformities through osteotomy approaches, allowing for adjustable dimensions and angles to stabilize and realign the spine.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If decompression without fusion is performed to relieve nerve root compression, then surgical invasiveness is reduced, but deformity progression and reoperation rates increase
Solution Approach 1:
The implant system incorporates an adjustable member that can be modified post-implantation to change the angle between first and second vertebral bodies. This dynamic adjustment capability allows the system to adapt to deformity progression while maintaining minimal initial surgical intervention, resolving the contradiction between surgical invasiveness and deformity control reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The system divides the correction mechanism into separable components: a first implantable member in the first vertebral body, a second implantable member in the second vertebral body, and an adjustable member connecting them. This segmentation allows for less invasive implantation while maintaining the ability to control deformity through adjustable connection geometry
2Stability of the object's composition
If limited fusion is performed to stabilize specific segments, then local stability is improved, but adjacent level disease increases due to stress transfer
Solution Approach 1:
The adjustable member enables postoperative modification of the correction angle, allowing the system to distribute mechanical stresses more evenly across adjacent levels over time. This dynamic adaptation prevents the stress concentration that leads to adjacent level disease while maintaining local stability through the fixed implantable members
3Manufacturing precision
If extended fusion is performed to correct severe deformities, then alignment correction is improved, but surgical complexity and adjacent level stress increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system achieves alignment correction through two separate implantable members positioned in different vertebral bodies, connected by an adjustable member. This segmented approach distributes the correction across multiple points rather than requiring extensive fusion, reducing surgical complexity while maintaining precision through the adjustable connection geometry
Solution Approach 2:
The adjustable member allows for precise control of the correction angle to be established and modified after implantation. This dynamic adjustment capability enables accurate alignment correction without requiring the rigidity and complexity of extended fusion constructs
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 system provides durable, adjustable alignment correction minimizing the risk of complications and reducing the need for additional surgeries by addressing the underlying causes of spinal deformity, thereby improving patient outcomes and reducing long-term deterioration.
Implementation Method 1
an adjustable member configured to apply a force to expand the vertebral body
Implementation Method 2
adjustable using percutaneous puncture or electromagnetic mechanisms
Data Source
AI summary
A vertebral implant system is provided comprising an upper staple, a lower staple and a vertical member. In some embodiments, the vertical member is a plate. In some embodiments, the plate further comprises an offset guide that defines an offset dimension to contribute to a correction of an alignment of a vertebral body. In some embodiments, the staple defines an offset dimension to contribute to a correction of an alignment of a vertebral body. In some embodiments, the vertebral implant system is configured to be installed from an anterior, oblique, or lateral angle to the vertebral body. In some embodiments, a self adjusting screw plate alignment system is provided comprising a bone screw having threaded and tip portions, a plate with a through hole, a locking element and a securing element configured to frictionally anchor the tip portion of the bone screw in the plate through hole.