Zero-Profile Spinal Cage with Lateral H-Fixation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing spinal implants that rest on the midline of vertebrae or extend beyond the anterior face can cause irritation to the esophagus, highlighting a need for a design that minimizes such complications while providing stable fixation and fusion between vertebral bodies.
Innovation Solution
A zero-profile spinal implant with an H-shaped fixation frame and spacer that is either flush or recessed with respect to the vertebral body midline, featuring a bridge portion and arms that are designed to be coplanar with the spacer, reducing the risk of esophageal irritation by not extending beyond the anterior face of the vertebrae.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the implant extends beyond the anterior face of the vertebral body to provide stable fixation, then the fixation stability is improved, but the risk of esophageal irritation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The bridge portion is extracted or removed from the traditional anterior spinal implant design, creating a zero-profile configuration where the implant does not extend beyond the anterior face of the vertebral body. This extraction eliminates the harmful effect on the esophagus while maintaining fixation stability through the H-shaped frame structure with arms extending laterally.
Solution Approach 2:
The implant design transitions from an anterior-extending profile to a zero-profile design by changing the spatial dimension of the bridge portion. The H-shaped fixation frame with laterally extending arms redistributes the fixation function from the anterior-posterior dimension to the lateral dimension, achieving stable fixation without anterior extension that would irritate the esophagus.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the implant is designed with a zero-profile configuration to reduce esophageal irritation, then the safety is improved, but the fixation stability may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The H-shaped fixation frame employs an asymmetric design with arms extending laterally from the bridge portion at different positions. This asymmetric configuration optimizes the distribution of fixation forces across the vertebral bodies, providing stable fixation despite the zero-profile constraint that prevents anterior extension.
Solution Approach 2:
The fixation function is relocated from the anterior-posterior dimension to the lateral dimension through the H-shaped frame structure. The arms extending laterally from the bridge portion engage the vertebral bodies from the sides, providing stable fixation without requiring anterior extension of the implant.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the bridge portion is made flush or recessed with respect to the vertebral body midline to achieve zero-profile design, then the safety is improved, but the structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The fixation frame is segmented into distinct components: a bridge portion that contacts the vertebral body midline and arms that extend laterally to engage the vertebral bodies. This segmentation allows the bridge portion to be configured as flush or recessed for zero-profile safety while the arms provide the necessary fixation function, distributing the structural complexity across functional segments.
Data Source
AI summary
A spinal implant. The spinal implant includes a spacer having an upper surface for contacting a superior vertebral body, a lower surface for contacting an inferior vertebral body, a first insertion end portion, and a second end portion opposite the first insertion end portion; a fixation frame coupled to the second end portion of the spacer and including a bridge portion oriented substantially coplanar with the spacer and at least one arm extending from the bridge portion; and at least one fixation element having a first insertion end for penetrating the superior or inferior vertebral bodies and a second end coupled to the at least one arm of the fixation frame.