Vertebral Plating System Multipoint Fixation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing spinal surgery implants face challenges such as incomplete healing, implant migration, and increased healing time due to invasive procedures and the risk of screw pull-out, especially when secured to bony structures with single screws under high spinal loads.
Innovation Solution
A vertebral plating system with a bone plate having multiple holes and attachment members that allow for variable angle locking and multipoint fixation, featuring a mesh construct and additional locking features to enhance stability and prevent migration, while minimizing tissue trauma through minimally invasive surgical techniques.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If single screw fixation is used to secure implants to bony structures, then implantation simplicity is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to high risk of screw pull-out under spinal loads
Solution Approach 1:
The plate is divided into multiple segments that can be independently positioned and fixed to different bony structures. Each segment can be secured with its own attachment members, distributing the fixation points across multiple locations rather than relying on a single screw, thereby improving reliability while maintaining surgical simplicity
Solution Approach 2:
The plate design incorporates three-dimensional positioning capabilities with attachment members that can engage at multiple angles and orientations. This allows fixation in multiple spatial dimensions, creating a more robust fixation system that resists pull-out forces from various directions while maintaining ease of implantation through standardized attachment mechanisms
2Ease of operation
If full open incisions with tissue and muscle stripping are used to expose lateral masses, then accessibility for implant insertion is improved, but patient trauma and healing time worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The plate serves as an intermediary device that can be accessed through minimally invasive approaches. By designing the plate with features that allow percutaneous or limited-exposure insertion, the system mediates between the need for secure fixation and the desire to minimize soft tissue trauma, enabling implant placement without extensive muscle stripping
Solution Approach 2:
The implant design incorporates parameters that enable minimally invasive insertion, such as reduced profile, specialized insertion interfaces, and attachment members that can be deployed through small incisions. These parameter changes allow the same fixation function to be achieved with significantly reduced tissue disruption and faster healing times
3Device complexity
If implants are secured with minimal attachment members, then surgical complexity is reduced, but implant migration risk increases due to insufficient load distribution
Solution Approach 1:
The plate is divided into multiple segments that can be independently positioned and fixed to different bony structures. Each segment can be secured with its own attachment members, distributing the fixation points across multiple locations rather than relying on a single screw, thereby improving reliability while maintaining surgical simplicity
Solution Approach 2:
The plate design incorporates pre-configured attachment member positions and angles that are optimized for load distribution. This preliminary configuration allows multiple fixation points to be achieved without increasing surgical complexity, as the attachment members can be inserted at predetermined locations that automatically distribute loads effectively across the implanted structure
Data Source
AI summary
Surgical plating systems, devices, and related methods for stabilizing and immobilizing portions of a body for surgical procedures, e.g., spinal surgery, are disclosed herein. The plating systems can have narrow profiles that minimize trauma to the patient. An exemplary bone plating system can include a bone plate having one or more holes for receiving attachment members to couple the bone plate to a bony structure. The plating system can provide multipoint fixation to anatomical structures of the patient to prevent unwanted migration of the bone plate and/or unintentional back-out of the attachment members. In some embodiments, the attachment members can be disposed at various trajectories and angles relative to plating structures and can include a mesh construct and/or additional locking features. In some embodiments, the plating system can be introduced into the patient via an access tube to further limit the invasiveness of the procedure.