Method of treating spinal disk

• US 10,279,080 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2017
• Issued: 05/07/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sprezzatura Innovations LLC
• Original Assignee: SpineOvations Inc
• Inventors: Young, Stuart, Alleyne, Neville, Manesis, Nicholas John
• Primary Examiner(s): Arnold, Ernst V
• Application Number:
  US15/636,446
• Publication Number:
  US 20170296701A1
• Time in Patent Office: 678 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/4435 Support means or repair of the natural disc wall, i.e. annulus, e.g. using plates, membranes or meshes
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2430/38 for reconstruction of the spine, vertebrae or intervertebral discs
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 27/16 obtained by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 27/20 Polysaccharides
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 27/48 with macromolecular fillers
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2210/02 Bones
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/329 characterised by features of the needle shaft
• CPC Class Codes: A61P 19/00 Drugs for skeletal disorders
• CPC Class Codes: A62B 18/02 Masks gas-masks for animals A62B18/06; masks for welders A61F9/06
• CPC Class Codes: A62B 18/10 Valves
• CPC Class Codes: A62B 23/025 the filter having substantially the shape of a mask surgical face masks A41D13/11
• CPC Class Codes: A62B 9/006 Indicators or warning devices, e.g. of low pressure, contamination
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 33/12 Homopolymers or copolymers of methyl methacrylate
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 5/08 Chitin; Chondroitin sulfate; Hyaluronic acid; Derivatives thereof

Abstract

A method of treating a spinal disk according to the present invention can include inserting an alloplastic bulking agent into the spinal disk to treat the defect. The alloplastic bulking agent has a plurality of microparticles and a suspending agent comprising hyaluronic acid. The bulking agent results in at least one of sealing the defect, increasing a pressure of the disk, increasing a height of the disk, improving stability of the disk and improving structural integrity of the disk.

Claims

1. An implant agent comprising a plurality of microparticles suspended in a solution containing hyaluronic acid, for use in repairing and/or improving structural integrity of spinal disks, wherein the implant agent is without any gelling or setting agents that cause the material to polymerize, gel, or otherwise harden in place after injection through an annulus, and wherein the microparticles comprise cross-linked polymethymethacrylate (PMMA) microparticles having a glass transition temperature of at least 120 degrees C. such that the microparticles are more stable to thermal exposure during autoclaving.

2. The implant agent of claim 1, wherein the solution containing hyaluronic acid comprises cross-linked hyaluronic acid.

3. The implant agent of claim 1, wherein the PMMA microparticles have an average diameter between 15 microns to 250 microns.

4. The implant agent of claim 1, wherein the concentration of hyaluronic acid in the solution is between 1.0% and 3.0%.

5. The implant agent of claim 1, wherein the concentration of hyaluronic acid in the solution is between 1.6% and 2.4%.

6. The implant agent of claim 1, wherein the molecular weight of hyaluronic acid in the agent is greater than 1.6 M Da.

7. The implant agent of claim 1, wherein the molecular weight of hyaluronic acid in the agent is greater than 2.8 M Da.

8. The implant agent of claim 1, wherein the concentration of PMMA microparticles in the agent is between 25% and 50%.

9. The implant agent of claim 1, wherein the concentration of PMMA microparticles in the agent is between 38% and 48%.

10. The implant agent of claim 1, wherein the solution has a viscosity between 50,000 and 200,000 centipoise.