CURVILINEAR CERVICAL INTERBODY DEVICE

• US 20070123987A1
• Filed: 11/02/2006
• Published: 05/31/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Avi Bernstein
• Original Assignee: Avi Bernstein
• Inventors: Bernstein, Avi
• Application Number:
  US11/555,779
• Publication Number:
  US 20070123987A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 623/17.110
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/86 Pins or screws or threaded wires; nuts therefor A61B17/72 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/30744 End caps, e.g. for closing an endoprosthetic cavity
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/44 for the spine, e.g. vertebrae, spinal discs
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/2835 Bone graft implants for filling a bony defect or an endoprosthesis cavity, e.g. by synthetic material or biological material
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30019 differing in mechanical expandability, e.g. in mechanical, self- or balloon expandability
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30062 (bio)absorbable, biodegradable, bioerodable, (bio)resorbable, resorptive
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30261 parallelepipedal
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30266 wedge-shaped parallelepipeds
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30331 made by longitudinally pushing a protrusion into a complementarily-shaped recess, e.g. held by friction fit
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30522 releasable, e.g. using a releasable ratchet
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/3055 for adjusting length
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30578 having apertures, e.g. for receiving fixation screws
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30593 hollow
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30594 slotted, e.g. radial or meridian slot ending in a polar aperture, non-polar slots, horizontal or arcuate slots
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30601 telescopic
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30772 Apertures or holes, e.g. of circular cross section
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30878 with non-sharp protrusions, for instance contacting the bone for anchoring, e.g. keels, pegs, pins, posts, shanks, stems, struts
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2210/0004 bioabsorbable
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2220/0025 Connections or couplings between prosthetic parts, e.g. between modular parts; Connecting elements
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2220/0033 made by longitudinally pushing a protrusion into a complementary-shaped recess, e.g. held by friction fit
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/0082 : parallelepipedal
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0048 : differing in mechanical expandability, e.g. in mechanical, self- or balloon expandability
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2310/00023 : Titanium or titanium-based alloys, e.g. Ti-Ni alloys

Abstract

An interbody spacer assembly includes a pair of end pieces spaced apart by a connector extending between them. The end pieces extend generally parallel to the end plates of adjoining vertebral bodies. Fasteners connect the end pieces to the vertebral bodies. Bone graft material or solid bone can be placed in the interior space defined by the end pieces and connector, which bone graft material or solid bone eventually fuses together and to the adjoining end plates through the end pieces. The spacer assembly has ratchets to connect the two end pieces. The ratchets near the fasteners are more closely spaced than the ratchets further from the fasteners, allowing the spacer assembly to more closely approximate the lordosis of the spine.

Claims

1. An interbody spacer assembly for replacing either a vertebra or disk, comprising:

first and second end pieces, said end pieces spaced apart from each other and defining an interior region between said end pieces for receiving bone graft material;

at least one fastener for securing the spacer assembly to a vertebral body; and

a curvilinear connector between the first and second end pieces to adjust the spacing between them.

2. The spacer assembly of claim 1 further comprising a retainer spanning said first and second end pieces for retaining bone graft material.

3. The spacer assembly of claim 1 and a flange extending from at least one of said end pieces, said flange receiving said at least one fastener.

4. The spacer assembly of claim 1 wherein the connector is a rod.

5. The spacer assembly of claim 1 wherein the connector is a wall.

6. The spacer assembly of claim 5 wherein the connector is positioned so that it can extend along the spinal cord.

7. The spacer assembly of claim 1 wherein the end pieces each have an end plate, and the end plates are substantially parallel when the spacing between them is minimized and progressively less parallel as the spacing increases.

8. The spacer assembly of claim 1 wherein said end pieces each have an outer surface that is substantially flat.

9. An interbody spacer assembly for replacing either a vertebra or a disk, comprising:

first and second end pieces, the end pieces spaced apart from each other and including mating connectors extending between the first and second end pieces;

at least one fastener for securing the spacer assembly to a vertebral body;

a flange extending from at least one of said end pieces, the flange receiving the at least one fastener for securing the spacer assembly to a vertebral body; and

ratchets on the connectors, the ratchets having a first spacing on the first end piece and a second spacing on the second end piece.

10. The spacer assembly of claim 9 wherein the first and second end pieces define an open interior region between them.

11. The spacer assembly of claim 9 wherein said end pieces each include a plurality of apertures.

12. The spacer assembly of claim 9 wherein the end pieces each have an outer surface that is substantially flat.

13. The spacer assembly of claim 9 wherein said end pieces each have a roughened exterior surface.

14. The spacer assembly of claim 12 wherein said roughened surfaces are comprised of alternating ridges and valleys.

15. The spacer assembly of claim 9 wherein said mating connectors of one of said first and second end pieces comprises a pair of arms defining a space between said arms, and wherein said space between said arms communicates with an open interior region between said end pieces.

16. An interbody spacer assembly for replacing either a vertebra or disk, comprising:

a pair of end pieces, each of said end pieces having a plurality of apertures extending through said end pieces;

a connector adjustably connecting and spacing said end pieces to correspond to a curvature of the replaced vertebra or disk, said end pieces and connector defining an interior space;

a flange extending from each of said end pieces and away from said interior space;

at least one fastener engaging at least one of said flanges for securing said spacer assembly to a vertebral body; and

a retainer extending between the first and second end pieces for retaining bone graft material within said interior space.

17. The interbody spacer assembly of claim 16 wherein said connector has intermeshing teeth.

18. The interbody spacer assembly of claim 17 wherein the intermeshing teeth are of different sizes.

19. The interbody spacer assembly of claim 16 wherein the intermeshing teeth nearer the flange are less closely spaced than the intermeshing teeth further from the flange.

20. The interbody spacer assembly of claim 16 wherein the end pieces each have an outer surface that is substantially flat.

21. A method of inserting an interbody spacer assembly for replacing vertebral bodies of a spine, said method comprising:

placing the interbody spacer assembly between vertebral bodies of a spine, wherein the interbody spacer assembly comprises first and second end pieces, said end pieces spaced apart from each other; and

moving the first and second end pieces relative to each other in a curvilinear path to substantially fill the space between the vertebral bodies both longitudinally and laterally.

22. The method of claim 21 further comprising placing the interbody spacer assembly from the front of a patient using an anterior approach.

23. The method of claim 21 further comprising fastening the interbody spacer assembly to adjacent vertebral bodies of a spine.

24. The method of claim 21 wherein the first and second end pieces move away from each other.