Vertebral prosthesis
First Claim
1. A vertebral prosthesis for total replacement of a resected vertebral body and adjoining discs, comprising a pair of housings having side walls, distal end walls with outer surfaces facing in opposite directions, and proximal end walls having openings therein and having outer surfaces disposed in opposition;
- said side and end walls of each housing defining a chamber;
anchoring means projecting distally from each distal end wall for locking engagement with a natural vertebral body adjacent thereto;
a suspension plate in each chamber spaced from said side and end walls for limited relative movement of said plate and the housing defining said chamber;
an elastomeric suspension medium surrounding said suspension plate in each chamber; and
expandable connecting mean projecting through said openings in said proximal end walls and adjustably connecting said suspension plates of said pair of housings for selectively increasing the distance between said housings.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A dynamic prosthetic vertebral body for use in a cavity left by resection of a natural vertebral body and adjacent intervertebral discs. The prosthesis includes a pair of rigid housings joined by a connecting structure that is operable to shift the housings apart into supportive engagement with the healthy vertebral bodies adjacent the site of the resected body. Anchoring pins project outwardly in axial directions from the respective housings for secure fixation to the healthy vertebral bodies. Within the chamber of each housing is a rigid suspension plate surrounded by an elastomeric suspension medium, and the suspension plates of the two housings are joined by the expandable connecting structure. The relative sizes of the suspension plates and the chambers in which they are received allow limited movement of the housings, resulting in a prosthesis that provides the required support but also mimics the dynamics of a normal vertebra and adjacent discs.
1106 Citations
14 Claims
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1. A vertebral prosthesis for total replacement of a resected vertebral body and adjoining discs, comprising a pair of housings having side walls, distal end walls with outer surfaces facing in opposite directions, and proximal end walls having openings therein and having outer surfaces disposed in opposition;
- said side and end walls of each housing defining a chamber;
anchoring means projecting distally from each distal end wall for locking engagement with a natural vertebral body adjacent thereto;
a suspension plate in each chamber spaced from said side and end walls for limited relative movement of said plate and the housing defining said chamber;
an elastomeric suspension medium surrounding said suspension plate in each chamber; and
expandable connecting mean projecting through said openings in said proximal end walls and adjustably connecting said suspension plates of said pair of housings for selectively increasing the distance between said housings. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
- said side and end walls of each housing defining a chamber;
Specification