Spine distraction implant and method
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An implant for relieving pain associated with the spinal column which is positionable between adjacent spinous processes of the spinal column, comprising:
- a first unit including a body and a first wing;
said body having a longitudinal axis and said first wing being connected to an end of said body and extending substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, said body adapted to be positioned between adjacent spinous processes;
a second wing;
said body including a groove that can receive said second wing, said groove being substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, such that said second wing is urged toward said body along a direction that is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis until said second wing is received in said groove with the first wing adapted to be positionable along first sides of the adjacent spinous processes and the second wing adapted to be positionable along opposite second sides of the spinous processes and opposite to the first wing; and
a device that secures the second wing to the body.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A spine distraction implant alleviates pain associated with spinal stenosis and facet arthropathy by expanding the volume in the spine canal and/or neural foramen. The implant provides a spinal extension stop while allowing freedom of spinal flexion.
1344 Citations
47 Claims
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1. An implant for relieving pain associated with the spinal column which is positionable between adjacent spinous processes of the spinal column, comprising:
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a first unit including a body and a first wing; said body having a longitudinal axis and said first wing being connected to an end of said body and extending substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, said body adapted to be positioned between adjacent spinous processes; a second wing; said body including a groove that can receive said second wing, said groove being substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, such that said second wing is urged toward said body along a direction that is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis until said second wing is received in said groove with the first wing adapted to be positionable along first sides of the adjacent spinous processes and the second wing adapted to be positionable along opposite second sides of the spinous processes and opposite to the first wing; and a device that secures the second wing to the body. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. An implant for relieving pain associated with the spinal column which is positionable between adjacent spinous processes of the spinal column, comprising:
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a first unit including a body and a first wing; a second wing; said body including a groove that can receive said second wing, said body adapted for positioning between the adjacent spinous processes, with the first wing adapted to be positionable along first sides of the adjacent spinous processes and the second wing adapted to be positionable along second sides of the spinous processes and opposite to the first wing; a device that secures the second wing to the body; said first wing has upper and lower portions; said second wing has upper and lower portions; an upper saddle is defined among the body and the upper portions of the first and second wings; a lower saddle is defined among the body and the lower portions of the first and second wing; wherein an upper width of the upper saddle is defined between the upper portions of the first and second wings; wherein a lower width of the lower saddle is defined between the lower portions of the first and second wings; the implant comprising multiple second wings with each second wing having said lower portion of a different thickness; and wherein the lower width can be selected by choosing said second wing with said lower portion of the desired thickness. - View Dependent Claims (13)
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14. An implant for relieving pain associated with the spinal column which is positionable between adjacent spinous processes of the spinal column, comprising:
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a first unit including a body and a first wing; a second wing; said body including a groove that can receive said second wing, said body adapted for positioning between the adjacent spinous processes, with the first wing adapted to be positionable along first sides of the adjacent spinous processes and the second wing adapted to be positionable along second sides of the spinous processes and opposite to the first wing; a device that secures the second wing to the guide; said first wing has upper and lower portions; said second wing has upper and lower portions; an upper saddle is defined among the body and the upper portions of the first and second wings; a lower saddle is defined among the body and the lower portions of the first and second wing; wherein an upper width of the upper saddle is defined between the upper portions of the first and second wings; wherein a lower width of the lower saddle is defined between the lower portions of the first and second wings; the implant comprising multiple second wings with each second wing having said upper portion of a different thickness; and wherein the upper width can be selected by choosing said second wing with said portion of the desired thickness.
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15. An implant for relieving pain associated with the spinal column which is positionable between adjacent spinous processes of the spinal column, comprising:
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a first unit including a body, a guide extending from said body, and a first wing; a second wing; said body including a groove that can receive said second wing, said body adapted for positioning between the adjacent spinous processes, with the first wing adapted to be positionable along first sides of the adjacent spinous processes and the second wing adapted to be positionable along second sides of the spinous processes and opposite to the first wing; and a device that secures the second wing to the body; said guide is located distally from the first wing; and wherein said guide is bulbous so as to be adapted to guide the body between adjacent spinous processes without requiring that the shape of the spinous processes be altered, and wherein the guide extends in a direction of insertion of the body between the spinous processes; and wherein said guide is of sufficient length to extend beyond the spinous processes with the body remaining between the spinous processes. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18)
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19. An implant for relieving pain associated with the spinal column which is positionable between adjacent spinous processes of the spinal column, comprising:
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a first unit including a body, a guide extending from said body, and a first wing; a second wing; said body including a groove that can receive said second wing, said body adapted for positioning between the adjacent spinous processes, with the first wing adapted to be positionable along first sides of the adjacent spinous processes and the second wing adapted to be positionable along second sides of the spinous processes and opposite to the first wing; and a device that secures the second wing to the body; said guide is located distally from the first wing; and wherein said guide is pointed so as to be adapted to guide the body between adjacent spinous processes without requiring that the shape of the spinous process be altered, and wherein the guide extends in a direction of insertion of the body between the spinous processes; and wherein said guide is of sufficient length to extend beyond the spinous processes with the body remaining between the spinous processes. - View Dependent Claims (20)
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21. An implant for relieving pain associated with the spinal column which is positionable between adjacent spinous processes of the spinal column, comprising:
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a first unit including a body, a guide extending from said body, and a first wing; a second wing; said body including a groove that can receive said second wing, said body adapted for positioning between the adjacent spinous processes, with the first wing adapted to be positionable along first sides of the adjacent spinous processes and the second wing adapted to be positionable along second sides of the spinous processes and opposite to the first wing; and a device that secures the second wing to the body; said guide is located distally from the first wing; and wherein said guide has first and second sides that are provided at an angle of about 30°
to about 60°
from a longitudinal axis of the body so as to be adapted to guide the body between adjacent spinous processes without requiring that the shape of the spinous process be altered, and wherein the guide extends in a direction of insertion of the body between the spinous processes; andwherein said guide is of sufficient length to extend beyond the spinous processes with the body remaining between the spinous processes. - View Dependent Claims (22)
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23. An implant for relieving pain associated with the spinal column which is positionable between adjacent spinous processes of the spinal column, comprising:
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a first unit including a body and a first wing; said body having a longitudinal axis and said first wing being connected to an end of said body and extending substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, said body adapted to be positioned between adjacent spinous processes; a second wing; said body including a means for engaging said second wing along a direction which is substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal axis with the first wing adapted to be positionable along first sides of the adjacent spinous processes and the second wing adapted to be positionable along second sides of the spinous processes and opposite to the first wing; and said engaging means is operable along said direction which is substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal axis. - View Dependent Claims (24)
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25. An implant for relieving pain associated with the spinal column which implant is positionable between adjacent spinous processes of the spinal column, comprising:
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a distracting unit including a body having a longitudinal axis and a first wing; said first wing being connected to an end of said body and extending substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis; a retaining unit unit including a second wing and a tab extending from said second wing; said distracting unit defining a groove that receives at least a portion of said second wing and said distraction unit also defining a recess for receiving said tab; said groove being substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal axis; said body including a first bore; said tab including a second bore; said first and second bores being alignable with the second wing received in said groove; and a device that is positionable through the first and second bores in order to secure the retaining unit to the distraction unit. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27)
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28. A method of relieving pain due to the development of spinal stenosis and the like in the spinal column including the steps of:
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accessing adjacent first and second spinous processes of the spinal column; implanting a distracting unit between the spinous processes, which distracting unit has (1) a body that can maintain a distraction between the first and second spinous processes, which body has a longitudinal axis and a groove which is substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal axis and (2) a wing which extends from an end of said body substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal axis and along the spinous processes; and positioning a retaining wing unit in the groove of said distracting unit by urging said retaining wing unit along a line which is substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal axis until said retaining wing unit is received in said groove. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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34. An implant for relieving pain associated with the spinal column which is positionable between adjacent spinous processes of the spinal column, comprising:
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a first unit including a body and a first wing; a second wing; said body including a groove that can receive said second wing, said body adapted for positioning between the adjacent spinous processes, with the first wing adapted to be positionable along first sides of the adjacent spinous processes and the second wing adapted to be positionable along second sides of the spinous processes and opposite to the first wing; a device that secures the second wing to the body; said first wing has upper and lower portions; said second wing has upper and lower portions; an upper saddle is defined among the body and the upper portions of the first and second wings; a lower saddle is defined among the body and the lower portions of the first and second wing; wherein an upper width of the upper saddle is defined between the upper portions of the first and second wings; wherein a lower width of the lower saddle is defined between the lower portions of the first and second wings; and there is a height between the upper and the lower saddles; and wherein a trapezoidal shape is defined between the upper width, the lower width and the height.
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35. An implant for relieving pain associated with the spinal column which is positionable between adjacent spinous processes of the spinal column, comprising:
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a first unit including a body and a first wing; a second wing; said body including a groove that can receive said second wing, said body adapted for positioning between the adjacent spinous processes, with the first wing adapted to be positionable along first sides of the adjacent spinous processes and the second wing adapted to be positionable along second sides of the spinous processes and opposite to the first wing; a device that secures the second wing to the body; and a portion of said body located between the first and second wings defines a trapezoidal shape.
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36. An implant for relieving pain associated with the spinal column which implant is positionable between adjacent spinous processes of the spinal column, comprising:
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a distracting unit including a body and a first wing; a retaining unit including a second wing which is securable to the body; the first and second wings having upper portions and lower portions respectively; the upper portions of the first and second wings and the portion of the body located there between defining an upper saddle; the lower portions of the first and second wings and the portion of the body located there between defining a lower saddle; and the portion of the body located between the first and the second saddles defining a trapezoidal shape.
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37. An implant for relieving pain associated with the spinal column which implant is positionable between adjacent spinous processes of the spinal column, comprising:
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a distracting unit including a body; a retaining unit which is securable to the body; said distracting unit and the retaining unit together defining a first saddle and a second saddle, each saddle adapted for receiving a spinous process; wherein the first saddle has a first width and the second saddle has a second width and wherein the first width is different from the second width; and a portion of the body located between the first and the second saddles is substantially trapezoidal shaped. - View Dependent Claims (38)
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39. An implant for relieving pain associated with the spinal column which is positionable between adjacent spinous processes of the spinal column, comprising:
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a first unit including a body and a guide extending from said body, and a first wing; a second wing; said body including a groove that can receive said second wing, said body adapted for positioning between the adjacent spinous processes, with the first wing adapted to be positionable along first sides of the adjacent spinous processes and the second wing adapted to be positionable along opposite second sides of the spinous processes and opposite to the first wing; and a device that secures the second wing to the body; said first wing has upper and lower portions; said second wing has upper and lower portions; an upper saddle is defined among the body and the upper portions of the first and second wings; a lower saddle is defined among the body and the lower portions of the first and second wing; wherein an upper width of the upper saddle is defined between the upper portions of the first and second wings; wherein a lower width of the lower saddle is defined between the lower portions of the first and second wings; the implant comprising multiple second wings with each second wing having at least one of said upper portion and said lower portion of a different thickness; and wherein at least one of said upper width and the lower width can be selected by choosing said second wing with said upper position and the lower portion of the desired thickness.
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40. An implant for relieving pain associated with the spinal column which is positionable between adjacent spinous processes of the spinal column, comprising:
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a body which includes a first wing; said body having a longitudinal axis and said body adapted to be positioned between adjacent spinous processes; a second wing; and said body including a means for receiving said second wing along a direction which is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, such that said second wing is urged toward said body along a direction which is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis until said receiving means received said second wing. - View Dependent Claims (41, 42, 43, 44)
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45. An implant for relieving pain associated with the spinal column which implant is positionable between adjacent spinous processes of the spinal column, comprising:
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a distracting unit including a body which has a longitudinal axis and a first wing, said first wing being connected to an end of said body and extending substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, with the body adapted to be positionable between adjacent spinous processes and said first wing adapted to be positionable along first sides of adjacent spinous processes; a retaining unit including a second wing, which second wing is adapted to be positionable along second sides of adjacent spinous processes which are opposite to the first sides of the spinous processes; and said body including a groove which is substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal axis, which groove receives at least a portion of said second wing.
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46. An implant for relieving pain associated with the spinal column which is positionable between adjacent spinous processes of the spinal column, comprising:
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a first unit with a body and a first wing, and a guide which extends from the body and is located distally from the first wing and wherein said body has a longitudinal axis; wherein said guide has an increasingly reduced cross section in a direction extending along the longitudinal axis distally from the first wing so that said guide is shaped in order to guide the body into a location between the adjacent spinous processes without requiring the spinous processes to be modified; a second wing; and said body including a groove provide therein, said groove provided substantially perpendicular to and intersecting said longitudinal axis, said groove shaped to receive said second wing such that said second wing can be urged along a direction which is substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal axis until said second wing is received in said groove. - View Dependent Claims (47)
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Specification