Wedge-Shaped Spinal Cage With Angled Teeth
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing spinal implants lack a large open vertebral contact area for bone ingrowth and a locking structure to prevent ventral and dorsal movement, and they do not effectively mimic the natural curvature of the spine.
Innovation Solution
A spinal cage with a hollow interior, angled teeth for secure fixation, and a recessed surface design to facilitate rotation and prevent over-rotation, allowing for a large contact area for bone growth and vascularization while preventing implant migration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a traditional spinal cage is used, then the implant can be inserted between vertebrae, but it lacks a large open vertebral contact area for bone ingrowth and a locking structure to prevent ventral and dorsal movement
Solution Approach 1:
The cage incorporates an open framework structure with porous walls that allow bone ingrowth through the cage walls. This porous design provides extensive surface area for bone contact and fusion while maintaining structural integrity, directly addressing the need for large open vertebral contact area without significantly increasing device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The cage features asymmetric design elements including angled teeth on specific surfaces and a wedge shape with different dimensions at each end. The angled teeth are positioned to provide locking engagement in specific directions (preventing ventral and dorsal movement) while maintaining overall structural simplicity. This asymmetric configuration enables targeted functionality without requiring complex mechanisms throughout the entire device
2Reliability
If the cage is designed with a locking structure to prevent migration, then implant stability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cage employs a wedge shape with curved or rounded features rather than sharp angles, and the teeth are angled to follow the natural curvature of vertebral surfaces. This curved design allows the locking teeth to engage smoothly with the vertebral bone while distributing forces evenly, providing stable locking without requiring complex mechanical mechanisms
Solution Approach 2:
The angled teeth are designed to self-engage with the vertebral bone surfaces upon insertion, utilizing the natural compression forces between vertebrae to drive the teeth into engagement. The cage structure itself provides the locking function through its geometric configuration rather than requiring separate active locking mechanisms, thereby maintaining device simplicity while achieving reliable stability
3Adaptability or versatility
If the cage provides lordosis to mimic natural spinal curvature, then spinal alignment is improved, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cage is designed as a wedge shape with specific angular parameters that can be varied to match different spinal curvature requirements. By changing the wedge angle and dimensional parameters during manufacturing, the same basic cage design can adapt to different lordosis requirements, achieving spinal curvature adaptation without requiring multiple complex designs or high-precision custom manufacturing for each case
Data Source
AI summary
A spinal implant for insertion in the intervertebral space is formed as a hollow cage, wedge shaped in profile, with a lesser height leading end for a low profile entry. The cage has two open sides with a plurality of angled teeth along opposite longitudinal edges for engaging the end plates of adjacent vertebrae when the cage is rotated into position. One portion of the angled teeth is angled toward an end of the cage and another portion of the angled teeth is angled away from that end to provide a lock preventing the cage from migrating ventrally or dorsally from the spine. Upon rotation, the leading end has a greater height than the trailing end. Opposing side walls of the cage include recesses to facilitate rotation of the cage and minimize stress on adjacent vertebrae.