Method of lumbar intervertebral disk stabilization
First Claim
1. A method of intervertebral disk stabilization comprising the steps of:
- spreading adjacent vertebrae;
removing a portion of the intervertebral disk from between the adjacent vertebrae;
inserting an elongate, generally cylindrically shaped implant having middle and end portions, the middle portion being an expanded larger diameter than the end portions, into the space between the adjacent vertebrae from which a portion of the disk has been removed; and
rotating the elongate implant to cause threads formed on the outside surface thereof to bear against the adjacent vertebrae to move the implant in an anterior-posterior direction until positioned at a point between the adjacent vertebrae at which both the larger diameter middle portion and the smaller diameter end portions of the elongate implant engage the bodies of the adjacent vertebrae to stabilize the adjacent vertebrae relative to each other.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method of intervertebral disk stabilization in which adjacent vertebrae are spread and a portion of the intervertebral disk is removed from therebetween is disclosed. An elongate, generally cylindrically shaped implant having middle and end portions, the middle portion being of larger diameter than the end portions, is inserted into the space between the adjacent vertebrae from which the disk was removed and then rotated. Threads formed on the outside surface of the implant bear against the bodies of the adjacent vertebrae to move the implant back and forth in an anterior-posterior direction in the disk space to a position in which both the larger diameter middle portion and the smaller diameter end portions of the implant engage the bodies of the adjacent vertebrae to stabilize the adjacent vertebrae relative to each other.
332 Citations
16 Claims
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1. A method of intervertebral disk stabilization comprising the steps of:
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spreading adjacent vertebrae; removing a portion of the intervertebral disk from between the adjacent vertebrae; inserting an elongate, generally cylindrically shaped implant having middle and end portions, the middle portion being an expanded larger diameter than the end portions, into the space between the adjacent vertebrae from which a portion of the disk has been removed; and rotating the elongate implant to cause threads formed on the outside surface thereof to bear against the adjacent vertebrae to move the implant in an anterior-posterior direction until positioned at a point between the adjacent vertebrae at which both the larger diameter middle portion and the smaller diameter end portions of the elongate implant engage the bodies of the adjacent vertebrae to stabilize the adjacent vertebrae relative to each other. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method of intervertebral disk stabilization comprising the steps of:
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spreading adjacent vertebrae by inserting a spreader comprised of a handle and an integral implant portion between the adjacent vertebrae, removing a portion of the intervertebral disk from between the adjacent vertebrae; inserting the implant portions of additional spreaders between the adjacent vertebrae, each of the additional spreaders having implant portions of increasingly larger diameters, to spread the adjacent vertebrae progressively further apart; inserting an elongate, generally cylindrically-shaped implant having middle and end portions, the middle portion being an expanded larger diameter than the end portions, into the space between the adjacent vertebrae from which a portion off the disk has been removed, the implant portions of the respective spreaders being shaped in a shape similar to the elongate implant; and rotating the elongate implant to cause threads formed on the outside surface thereof to bear against the adjacent vertebrae to move the implant in an anterior-posterior direction until positioned at a point between the adjacent vertebrae at which both the larger diameter middle portion and the smaller diameter end portion of the elongate implant engage the bodies of the adjacent vertebrae to stabilize the adjacent vertebrae relative to each other. - View Dependent Claims (10)
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11. A method of intervertebral disk stabilization comprising the steps of:
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removing a portion of the intervertebral disk from between adjacent vertebrae; inserting a generally cylindrically-shaped implant comprised of middle and end portion having threads formed on the surface thereof into the space between the adjacent vertebrae from which the portion of the disk has been removed, the middle portion of the implant having an expanded larger diameter than the end portions of the implant; rotating the implant to cause the threads to bear against the adjacent vertebrae to cause the implant to move back and forth in the space between the adjacent vertebrae to position the implant at a point at which both the middle and end portions of the implant engage the adjacent vertebrae to stabilize the adjacent vertebrae relative to each other. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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Specification