Anterior cervical plating system
First Claim
1. A plate member for an anterior cervical plating system, the plate member comprising:
- a first pair of nodes having a first node and a second node defining first and second bone screw apertures, respectively, the first and second nodes both being at least partially circular in shape and spaced apart from one another in a first direction;
a second pair of nodes having a third node and a fourth node defining third and fourth bone screw apertures, respectively, the third and fourth nodes both being at least partially circular in shape and spaced apart from one another in the first direction;
a first plurality of linking segments extending in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction and connecting the first and second pairs of nodes, adjacent linking segments defining elongated viewing windows.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An anterior cervical plating system for securing multiple bone segments relative to each other includes a plate member having multiple pairs of nodes. Each node defines a bone screw aperture. Linking segments connect the pairs of nodes to one another. Between adjacent linking segments are elongated viewing windows. The bone screw apertures each include an integral locking mechanism to ensure that the bone screws do not back out of the plate member. The locking mechanisms and the bone screw apertures allow for angular freedom of insertion of the bone screws into a vertebral body or other bone portion.
203 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A plate member for an anterior cervical plating system, the plate member comprising:
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a first pair of nodes having a first node and a second node defining first and second bone screw apertures, respectively, the first and second nodes both being at least partially circular in shape and spaced apart from one another in a first direction;
a second pair of nodes having a third node and a fourth node defining third and fourth bone screw apertures, respectively, the third and fourth nodes both being at least partially circular in shape and spaced apart from one another in the first direction;
a first plurality of linking segments extending in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction and connecting the first and second pairs of nodes, adjacent linking segments defining elongated viewing windows. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. A plating system for securing a first portion of bone to a second portion of bone, the plating system comprising:
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a plate member defining a plurality of bone screw apertures, at least one of the plurality of bone screw apertures including an annular groove formed in a sidewall portion;
a plurality of bone screws each inserted into an associated bone screw aperture of the plurality of bone screw apertures; and
a locking ring retained in at least one of the plurality of bone screw apertures and operative to prevent backing out of the bone screw inserted in the at least one bone screw aperture, the locking ring including a first radially extending flange disposed in the annular groove of the at least one bone screw aperture and a second radially extending flange upwardly spaced from the first radially extending flange. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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12. A method of surgically repairing bone with an elongated plate having a plurality of bone screw apertures, the method comprising the steps of:
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locating a locking ring in one of the bone screw apertures, the locking ring defining a locking ring opening and being resiliently expandable from a retracted state to an expanded state such that the locking ring opening has a first opening diameter in the retracted state and a second, larger opening diameter in the expanded state;
inserting a bone screw into the one of the bone screw apertures, the bone screw having a head with a head diameter greater than the first opening diameter and less than the second opening diameter; and
removing the bone screw from the one bone screw aperture with a tool having a first drive portion engaging the head of the bone screw and a second drive portion resiliently expanding the locking ring to the expanded state.
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15. A system for surgically repairing bone, the system comprising:
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an elongated plate having a plurality of bone screw apertures;
a locking ring disposed in one of the bone screw apertures, the locking ring defining a locking ring opening and being resiliently expandable from a retracted state to an expanded state such that the locking ring opening has a first opening diameter in the retracted state and a second, larger opening diameter in the expanded state;
a bone screw inserted into the one of the bone screw apertures, the bone screw having a head with a diameter greater than the first opening diameter and less than the second opening diameter; and
a tool for removing the bone screw from the one bone screw aperture, the tool having a first drive portion engaging the head of the bone screw and a second drive portion for resiliently expanding the locking ring to the expanded state.
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Specification