Intervertebral fusing device

• US 5,423,817 A
• Filed: 11/25/1994
• Issued: 06/13/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lin, Chih-I
• Original Assignee: Lin, Chih-I
• Inventors: Lin, Chih-I
• Primary Examiner(s): Graysay, Tamara L.
• Application Number:
  US08/348,954
• Time in Patent Office: 200 Days
• Field of Search: 606/61, 606/72, 623/16, 623/17, 267/166, 267/169, 267/178, 267/179, 267/180, 411/389, 411/392, 411/395, 411/397, 411/424
• US Class Current: 606/247
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/442 Intervertebral or spinal discs, e.g. resilient non-disc-shaped intervertebral inflatable pockets A61F2/441; non-disc-shaped intervertebral fusion implants A61F2/4455
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/446 having a circular or elliptical cross-section substantially parallel to the axis of the spine, e.g. cylinders or frustocones
• 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 2002/30235 tubular, e.g. sleeves
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30289 helically-coiled
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30405 made by screwing complementary threads machined on the parts themselves
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30566 Helical springs
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/448 comprising multiple adjacent spinal implants within the same intervertebral space or within the same vertebra, e.g. comprising two adjacent spinal implants
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2220/0025 Connections or couplings between prosthetic parts, e.g. between modular parts; Connecting elements
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/0069 cylindrical
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/0091 helically-coiled or spirally-coiled, i.e. having a 2-D spiral cross-section
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2310/00017 Iron- or Fe-based alloys, e.g. stainless steel
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2310/00023 Titanium or titanium-based alloys, e.g. Ti-Ni alloys
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2310/00029 Cobalt-based alloys, e.g. Co-Cr alloys or Vitallium

Abstract

An intervertebral fusing device having a spring body portion interconnecting a first spiral ring mount and a second spiral ring mount. Each spiral ring mount having a spiralling projection on the outer surface. The spring body portion is defined by a plurality of spiral loops. The plurality of spiral loops and spiralling projection of the spiral ring mounts have a constant pitch. A mount cover and a head member are threaded into an internally threaded portion of a respective spiral ring mount thereby forming a chamber in which bone grafts affinitive to the cells and tissues of a vertebra may be housed. The spring body portion is similar in elasticity to the vertebra.

Claims

1. An intervertebral fusing device comprising a spiral elastic body having first and second longitudinally spaced ends interconnected by a spring body portion, the first end of said spiral elastic body being defined by a first spiral ring mount having an outer surface provided with a spiralling projection, the second end of said spiral elastic body being defined by a second spiral ring mount having an outer surface provided with another spiralling projection, said spring body portion being defined by a plurality of spiral loops, the first and second spiral ring mounts and the spiral elastic body being integrally formed with the spiralling projections provided on the respective outer surfaces of said first and second spiral ring mounts and the plurality of spiral loops of said spiral elastic body constituting a single thread having a constant pitch and shape from the first end of the spiral elastic body to the second end thereof for threadably securing said intervertebral fusing device to a vertebra, each of said first and second spiral ring mounts having an associated longitudinal thickness that is greater than a longitudinal thickness of any one of the plurality of spiral loops of said spring body portion.

2. The intervertebral fusing device of claim 1, wherein both of said first and second spiral ring mounts include internally threaded portions, said intervertebral fusing device further comprising a mount cover and a head member, said mount cover being threadably attached to the internally threaded portion of said second spiral ring mount and said head member being threadably attached to the internally threaded portion of said first spiral ring mount.

3. The intervertebral fusing device of claim 2, wherein said spiral elastic body and said head member form an unsealed chamber adapted to receive one or more bone grafts, affinitive to cells and tissues of a vertebra to which said intervertebral fusing device is adapted to be attached.