Intervertebral disc prosthesis

• US 20080058944A1
• Filed: 10/30/2007
• Published: 03/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SpinePoint, LLC
• Original Assignee: Kinetic Spine Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Duplessis, Stephanie, Sekhon, Lall, Hurlbert, John
• Granted Patent: US 8,257,441 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 623/17.16
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/30771 applied in original prostheses, e.g. holes or grooves
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/4425 made of articulated components
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30112 Rounded shapes, e.g. with rounded corners
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/3013 figure-"8"- or hourglass-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30224 cylindrical
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30261 parallelepipedal
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30387 Dovetail connection
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30393 with additional means for limiting said rotation
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30397 Limited lateral translation of the rib within a larger groove
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/304 with additional means for limiting said sliding
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/305 Snap connection
• 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 2220/0025 Connections or couplings between prosthetic parts, e.g. between modular parts; Connecting elements
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/0004 Rounded shapes, e.g. with rounded corners
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/001 Figure-8-shaped, e.g. hourglass-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/0069 cylindrical
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/0082 parallelepipedal
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2310/00407 Coating made of titanium or of Ti-based alloys
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2310/00796 Coating or prosthesis-covering structure made of a phosphorus-containing compound, e.g. hydroxy(l)apatite

Abstract

An intervertebral disc prosthesis comprises first and second articulated elements wherein one the elements includes an articulated tongue and the other of the elements includes a groove adapted to receive the tongue. The first and second elements are adapted to be moveable with respect to each other in various planes.

Claims

1. An intervertebral disc prosthesis comprising:

first and second cooperating elements, said elements having anterior and posterior ends and lateral sides;

the first element including an outer surface and an inner surface directed towards the second element;

the second element including an outer surface and an inner surface directed towards the first element;

the first element inner surface including a generally central, longitudinally extending articulated tongue extending between the anterior and posterior ends of the first element, and a first pair of articulated shoulders extending longitudinally on opposite sides of said tongue;

the second element inner surface including a generally central, longitudinally extending articulated groove extending between the anterior and posterior ends of the second element, and a second pair of articulated shoulders extending longitudinally on opposite sides of said groove;

the tongue and groove being in cooperative arrangement wherein the groove is adapted to moveably receive the tongue therein;

the first and second pairs of shoulders being in cooperative arrangement wherein the shoulders of the first element bear against the shoulders of the second element when the prosthesis is in the assembled state.

2. The prosthesis of claim 1 wherein said tongue comprises a first narrow end proximal to the inner surface of the first element and a wide terminal end opposite the first end and wherein said groove comprises a narrow opening that is narrower than the width of the tongue terminal end and a base for accommodating the tongue terminal end.

3. The prosthesis of claim 2 wherein the terminal end of said tongue and the base of said groove include a cooperating articulation for allowing relative translational movement of the first and second elements between the anterior and posterior ends and for allowing relative lateral movement of the first and second elements.

4. The prosthesis of claim 3 wherein the difference in size between the terminal end of the tongue and the opening of the groove limits the amount of said translational and lateral movement, wherein said movement is restricted when the tongue terminal end contacts the opening of the groove.

5. The prosthesis of claim 4 wherein the base of said groove is wider than the terminal end of the tongue for allowing relative axial rotation between the first and second elements.

6. The prosthesis of claim 5 wherein the difference in size between the base of said groove and the terminal end of the tongue limits the amount of said rotational movement, wherein said movement is restricted when the tongue terminal end contacts the wall forming the base of the groove.

7. The prosthesis of claim 6 wherein one of said first and second elements includes a generally centrally located peg extending from the inner surface thereof and wherein the other of said first and second elements includes a recess for receiving said peg.

8. The prosthesis of claim 7 wherein said recess is larger than said peg.

9. The prosthesis of claim 8 wherein said recess is sized to allow the peg to move there-within.

10. The prosthesis of claim 9 wherein contact of said peg with the wall of said recess limits relative movement between the first and second elements.

11. The prosthesis of claim 10 wherein said recess comprises a base containing resilient material.

12. The prosthesis of claim 11 wherein said peg is provided on the second element and said recess is provided on the first element.

13. The prosthesis of claim 12 wherein the outer surfaces of the first and second elements are provided with one or more bone anchoring means.

14. The prosthesis of claim 13 wherein said bone anchoring means comprises one or more physical and chemical anchoring means.

15. The prosthesis of claim 14 wherein said bone anchoring means are chosen from pegs, pins, pores, apertures, adhesives, and tissue growth promoters.

16. The prosthesis of claim 15 wherein the outer surfaces of the first and second elements are generally concave about the transverse plane perpendicular to the anterior-posterior axis thereof.

17. The prosthesis of claim 16 wherein the outer surfaces of the first and second elements are provided with a groove extending along the anterior-posterior axis thereof.

18. The prosthesis of claim 15 wherein the outer surfaces of the first and second elements are generally planar.