340 results about "Spine fusion" patented technology

Devices formed of or including biocompatible polyhydroxyalkanoates are provided with controlled degradation rates, preferably less than one year under physiological conditions. Preferred devices include sutures, suture fasteners, meniscus repair devices, rivets, tacks, staples, screws (including interference screws), bone plates and bone plating systems, surgical mesh, repair patches, slings, cardiovascular patches, orthopedic pins (including bone filling augmentation material), adhesion barriers, stents, guided tissue repair / regeneration devices, articular cartilage repair devices, nerve guides, tendon repair devices, atrial septal defect repair devices, pericardial patches, bulking and filling agents, vein valves, bone marrow scaffolds, meniscus regeneration devices, ligament and tendon grafts, ocular cell implants, spinal fusion cages, skin substitutes, dural substitutes, bone graft substitutes, bone dowels, wound dressings, and hemostats. The polyhydroxyalkanoates can contain additives, be formed of mixtures of monomers or include pendant groups or modifications in their backbones, or can be chemically modified, all to alter the degradation rates. The polyhydroxyalkanoate compositions also provide favorable mechanical properties, biocompatibility, and degradation times within desirable time frames under physiological conditions.

An adjustable spinal fusion intervertebral implant is provided that can comprise upper and lower body portions that can each have proximal and distal wedge surfaces disposed at proximal and distal ends thereof. An actuator shaft disposed intermediate the upper and lower body portions can be actuated to cause proximal and distal protrusions to converge towards each other and contact the respective ones of the proximal and distal wedge surfaces. Such contact can thereby transfer the longitudinal movement of the proximal and distal protrusions against the proximal and distal wedge surfaces to cause the separation of the upper and lower body portions, thereby expanding the intervertebral implant.

An intervertebral disc space implant includes spaced-apart bone engagement portions that define an intermediate chamber that holds bone growth inducing material into contact with adjacent vertebral bodies. The implant is expandable to establish and maintain desired intervertebral spacing during fusion. The implant includes a first member and a second member arranged to move relative to each other by action of an expansion member, the first member being engageable with the vertebral body below the disc space.

A spinal fusion cage comprises an upper half-cage, a lower half-cage, and a plunger with a cam. The upper half-cage and lower half-cage have a first collapsed configuration which has a thin, flat, rectangular envelope and a second expanded configuration. The half-cages have at least one ramped surface on which the cam of the plunger rides. The cam bears against the ramped surface and spreading the two half-cages apart. A method of deploying a spinal fusion cage comprises the steps of disposing in a spinal space an upper half-cage and lower half-cage in a first collapsed configuration which has a thin, flat, rectangular envelope and a second expanded configuration. The method continues with the step of distally advancing a plunger between the upper half-cage and lower half-cage and spreading the two half-cages apart.

An adjustable spinal fusion intervertebral implant is provided that can comprise upper and lower body portions that can each have proximal and distal wedge surfaces disposed at proximal and distal ends thereof. An actuator shaft disposed intermediate the upper and lower body portions can be actuated to cause proximal and distal protrusions to converge towards each other and contact the respective ones of the proximal and distal wedge surfaces. Such contact can thereby transfer the longitudinal movement of the proximal and distal protrusions against the proximal and distal wedge surfaces to cause the separation of the upper and lower body portions, thereby expanding the intervertebral implant. The upper and lower body portions can have side portions that help facilitate linear translational movement of the upper body portion relative to the lower body portion.

This invention relates to devices and instruments for implant insertion through a posterior lateral opening to the disc space. The instruments include an implant inserter, and the devices include a spinal fusion implant engageable by the implant inserter. The implant provides bilateral support of the adjacent vertebrae when inserted into the disc space from a postero-lateral approach.

The current invention is directed to a system and method for fusing two adjacent vertebrae. In one embodiment, the vertebrae are fused by inserting a self-broaching interbody apparatus into a disc space without the need for separately drilling and broaching. The self-broaching interbody apparatus may include cutting flutes or other broaching means capable of cutting through the cartilaginous endplates of the vertebrae. In another embodiment, an interbody apparatus with an expanding means capable of distracting the disc space between the adjacent vertebrae is inserted into the disc space. Another embodiment includes a sleeve that fits around an interbody apparatus that has at least one opening in its outer surface leading to a cavity filled with bone and / or ortho-biological materials.

An expandable spinal fusion device is provided. The expandable device comprises a first part slidingly coupled to a second part. An removable expandable member extends between the first part and the second part and is coupled to a rotating operator such that rotating the operator causes the first part and the second part to move away from each other and distract vertebral bodies. A spacer or clip is used to lock the first part in relation to the second part to allow bone growth the fuse the vertebral bodies.

An intervertebral disc space implant includes spaced-apart bone engagement portions that define an intermediate chamber that holds bone growth inducing material into contact with adjacent vertebral bodies. The implant is expandable to establish and maintain desired intervertebral spacing during fusion. The implant includes a first member and a second member arranged to move relative to each other by action of an expansion member, the first member being engageable with the vertebral body below the disc space.

Disclosed are devices and methods for emplacement of an expandable device in a body part of interest in human and animal subjects. In one embodiment, the expandable device comprises a cage that may be emplaced in the intervertebral disc for use in spine fusion techniques. The device is fashioned so that it may be delivered to the intervertebral disc by percutaneous means, such as via a cannula. Additionally disclosed are systems and kits employing the devices of the invention as well as methods of manufacturing the devices of the invention.

The present invention is directed to an expandable spinal fusion intervertebral implant that provides for maintaining and creating lordosis in the human spine that can be filled with biologics while in situ to encourage spinal fusion. A threaded rod that traverses an insertion / injection handle can be rotated to operate a screw within the interbody cage that displaces opposing vertical tapped sliding wedges, causing them to converge towards each other. Such contact causes the operation of a horizontal wedge that acts as a lift to expand the interbody cage to one of various dimensions in a preferred range. At its desired expansion, the spinal fusion implant of the present invention is sized to fit within the disc space between two vertebral bodies and fill all voids left while the vertical and horizontal wedges operate within, due to the biologics being contained within the interbody cage.

A vertebral cage is provided for use in preserving the space between adjacent vertebral during the process of spinal fusion. In particular, this cage has an open modified oval peripheral shape with a continuous fluid anterior wall having angled screw passages accessible through co-planar openings to allow the construct to be stabilized between adjacent vertebral bodies through their endwalls. In addition, the cage has a back to front wedge taper with pull-out resistant ratchet surfaces. Further, in a second aspect of the invention, the screw passages have a unique locking mechanism provided by oversized internal threads in combination with a second locking thread on the head of the associated bone screws that allows for axial translation of the screws within the screw passages. This in turn permits play in the angulation of the screw relative to the anchoring bone in order to optimize the screw placement in the bone.

The spinal fusion cage of the invention comprises two opposing end plates, and three opposing collapsible legs. The two opposing end plates and three opposing collapsible legs are adapted to be configured into an expanded cage from a collapsed configuration. The expanded cage assumes a predetermined rigid shape and volume for disposition between two adjacent vertebrae. The collapsed configuration of the cage is adapted for posterior insertion into the disk space. The apparatus further comprises locking means for at least temporarily locking the legs and maintaining the cage in an expanded configuration. One of the legs is medially disposed on a first side of the cage and the other two are laterally disposed with respect to the end plates on a second side. The three legs have differing lengths so that the cage assumes a wedge-shaped envelope in the expanded configuration. The wedge-shaped envelope reestablishes a predetermined lordosis between fused vertebrae. The invention includes an inserter comprised of a tubular member and holding clamp disposed on the distal end of the tubular member. The holding clamp holds the cage in the collapsed configuration for insertion into a confined surgical theater. The cage is then reconfigured to the expanded configuration using the inserter. Further activation of the inserter causes the cage to be temporarily locked into the expanded configuration.

An expandable spinal fusion device is provided. The expandable device comprises a first part slidingly coupled to a second part. An removable expandable member extends between the first part and the second part and is coupled to a rotating operator such that rotating the operator causes the first part and the second part to move away from each other and distract vertebral bodies. A spacer or clip is used to lock the first part in relation to the second part to allow bone growth the fuse the vertebral bodies.

A system for performing spinal fusion between adjacent cervical vertebrae, including an implant and an introducer system, and related methods.

A linearly expanding spine cage has a minimized diameter in its unexpanded state that is equal to the diameter of an insertion groove cut into adjacent vertebral bodies. The cage conformably engages between the endplates of adjacent vertebrae to effectively distract the disc space, widen neuroforamina, stabilize the motion segments and eliminate pathologic spine motion. Angular deformities can be corrected, and natural curvatures maintained. The cage enhances spinal arthrodesis by creating a rigid spine segment. Expanding linearly (vertically, along the vertical axis of the adjacent spine) rather than uniformly, the cage height increases and holds the vertebrae with fixation forces greater than adjacent bone and soft tissue failure forces. Stability is thus achieved immediately, enabling patient function by eliminating painful motion. The cage width remains stable, so as to decrease impingement upon a second cage, or upon soft tissue structures in the immediate vicinity, including neural or vascular elements.

An method and apparatus is provided for achieving stability of an implant in an intervertebral space of the human body, including an implant having a superior surface and an inferior surface, the surfaces having no significant protrusions extending therefrom and at least one modular projection mateable with one of each superior and inferior surface of the implant to achieve stability within the intervertebral space. The implants can be selected form a group of artificial discs and spinal fusion cages.

A self-drilling bone fusion screw apparatus is disclosed which includes at least first and second sliding boxes. A first screw member having a tapered end and a threaded body is disposed within the first sliding box, and a second screw member having a tapered end and a threaded body disposed within the second sliding box. An adjuster adjusts the height of the sliding boxes. The screw members are screwed into vertebral bodies in order to fuse the vertebral bodies together. A plurality of the self-drilling bone fusion screw apparatuses may be attached together and / or integrated via a plate or cage. Also disclosed is a cervical facet staple that includes a curved staple base and at least two prongs attached to the bottom surface of the curved staple base.

An expandable device for spinal fusion or vertebral disc replacement that is inserted via a minimally invasive surgery approach and that is expanded inside the vertebral disc space. The device is configured to expand in at least one of a medial, a lateral, an anterior, a posterior, a superior and an inferior direction and to restrict further expansion of at least one of the medial, lateral, anterior and posterior direction after reaching a maximum allowing further expansion in superior or inferior direction.

A fusion cage of the present invention includes a first housing portion, a second housing portion, and an insert portion adapted to be received therebetween, wherein the geometry of the fusion cage corresponds substantially to the geometry of a void into which the fusion cage is to be inserted. Also described is a novel tool for insertion of a fusion cage and a novel method for designing a fusion cage or other surgical implant for filling a void identified within a patient.

A system and method for spinal fusion comprising a spinal fusion implant of non-bone construction releasably coupled to an insertion instrument dimensioned to introduce the spinal fusion implant into any of a variety of spinal target sites.

An implant apparatus and a method for spinal fusion from oblique, lateral, ALIF, PLIF, and TLIF approach are disclosed. The apparatus can be configured to include an expandable implant cage and an inserter. The cage can be inserted between endplates of upper and lower vertebra using lateral, ALIF, PLIF, and TLIF approach. The cage generally includes a male and female screw configuration and a cage expansion mechanism. The inserter inserts the cage in a spinal disc space and tightens the male and female screw arrangement. Once the cage is inserted to the desired position, viewed by X-ray you will begin to tighten the male portion of the screw in the device, and continue to tighten until final deployment of cage has been achieved. This provides a much greater footprint that allows the device to reach the cortical ring or apophyseal ring of the vertebral body. Tightening of male and female screw arrangement operates the cage expansion mechanism to expand the cage size. The cage can be inserted through a smaller surgical opening and then expanded to a full size assembly between the vertebrae.

An interbody fusion cage having upper and lower canals for receiving the heads of bone screws that have been pre-installed in opposing vertebral body endplates. The proximal wall of the cage preferably has a vertical slot that communicates with each canal and is adapted to allow access by a screwdriver and tightening of the screws.

Disclosed are methods and devices for accessing and treating the spine, while minimizing trauma to surrounding tissue. A device is introduced through tissue, to an access point on the spine. The device is thereafter advanced axially within the spine, from the access point across a treatment zone. Spinal fusion cages, other fusion implants and / or bone growth material is introduced into at least one vertebral body and / or at least one disc space.

According to some embodiments, a method for promoting spinal fusion using a spinal implant comprises providing a spinal implant, wherein the spinal implant comprises an anterior wall, a posterior wall and two lateral walls configured to extend between the anterior wall and the posterior wall. In some embodiments, the spinal implant further comprises at least one internal chamber generally positioned between the anterior wall, the posterior wall and the two lateral walls, wherein the internal chamber being is adapted to receive at least one graft and / or other fill material. In some arrangements, the anterior wall of the spinal implant comprises at least one opening or hole that places the internal chamber in fluid communication with an exterior area or portion of the spinal implant. In one embodiment, at least one of the two lateral walls comprises an access port. The method additionally includes positioning the spinal implant between two adjacent vertebrae of a patient and directing at least one graft and / or other fill material into the internal chamber of the spinal implant through the access port. In some embodiments, at least a portion of the graft and / or other fill material delivered into the internal chamber is configured to exit through the one or more of the openings of the anterior wall.

Instrument systems and methods for the fusion of two or more adjacent vertebrae include devices to facilitate placement of screws and plates to stabilize the vertebrae and instruments to facilitate parallel decortication of the vertebral endplates prior to insertion of the bone graft. A targeter allows proper placement of a plurality of vertebral screws into the vertebral bodies. A distractor is temporarily attached to the vertebral screws and a bushing is inserted between the two arms of the distractor. The bushing acts as a guide for a cutting tool, to allow the perfect parallel decortication of the vertebral endplates. After insertion of the bone graft, a plate is affixed to the vertebral screws using locking screws, to stabilize the joint so that fusion may occur. The invention features a novel bushing that allows parallel decortication of the vertebral endplates to facilitate fusion.