Methods and apparatus for performing therapeutic procedures in the spine
First Claim
1. Apparatus for obtaining access to a series of adjacent vertebral bodies located within a human lumbar and sacral spine, the vertebral bodies separated by intact or damaged intervertebral spinal discs, and performing disc augmentation of a selected spinal disc, the apparatus comprising:
- means for exposing a sacral position of a sacral vertebra in alignment with a visualized, axial instrumentation/fusion line extending in said axial aspect through the series of adjacent vertebral bodies;
bore forming means operable from the exposed sacral position for boring a trans-sacral axial bore axially through the vertebral bodies of said series of adjacent vertebral bodies and forming an axial disc opening into or through any intervertebral, spinal discs; and
means for performing a disc augmentation of any of the spinal discs through the axial bore and axial disc opening exposed or traversed by said axial bore.
6 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Methods and apparatus for forming one or more trans-sacral axial instrumentation/fusion (TASIF) axial bore through vertebral bodies in general alignment with a visualized, anterior or posterior axial instrumentation/fusion line (AAIFL or PAIFL) in a minimally invasive, low trauma, manner and providing a therapy to the spine employing the axial bore. Anterior or posterior starting positions aligned with the AAIFL or PAIFL are accessed through respective anterior and posterior tracts. Curved or relatively straight anterior and curved posterior TASIF axial bores are formed from the anterior and posterior starting positions. The therapies performed through the TASIF axial bores include discoscopy, full and partial discectomy, vertebroplasty, balloon-assisted vertebroplasty, drug delivery, electrical stimulation and various forms of spinal disc cavity augmentation, spinal disc replacement, fusion of spinal motion segments and implantation of radioactive seeds. Axial spinal implants and bone growth materials can be placed into single or multiple parallel or diverging TASIF axial bores to fuse two or more vertebrae, or distract or shock absorb two or more vertebrae.
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Citations
44 Claims
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1. Apparatus for obtaining access to a series of adjacent vertebral bodies located within a human lumbar and sacral spine, the vertebral bodies separated by intact or damaged intervertebral spinal discs, and performing disc augmentation of a selected spinal disc, the apparatus comprising:
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means for exposing a sacral position of a sacral vertebra in alignment with a visualized, axial instrumentation/fusion line extending in said axial aspect through the series of adjacent vertebral bodies; bore forming means operable from the exposed sacral position for boring a trans-sacral axial bore axially through the vertebral bodies of said series of adjacent vertebral bodies and forming an axial disc opening into or through any intervertebral, spinal discs; and means for performing a disc augmentation of any of the spinal discs through the axial bore and axial disc opening exposed or traversed by said axial bore. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. Apparatus for obtaining access to a series of adjacent vertebral bodies located within a human spine, the vertebral bodies separated by intact or damaged intervertebral spinal discs normally formed of a nucleus and annulus, and performing a therapy, the apparatus comprising:
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a means for exposing an anterior sacral position of an anterior sacral vertebral body; bore forming means operable from the exposed sacral position for boring a trans-sacral axial bore cephalad and axially through or into at least one cephalad vertebral body and intervertebral disc; and means for performing a therapeutic procedure in one of a vertebral body or spinal disc located within a human lumbar and sacral spine accessed through the trans-sacral axial bore. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. Apparatus for obtaining access to a series of adjacent vertebral bodies located within a human spine, the vertebral bodies separated by intact or damaged intervertebral spinal discs normally formed of a nucleus and annulus, and performing therapy, the apparatus comprising:
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means for exposing one of an anterior or posterior sacral position of a sacral vertebra in alignment with a visualized, anterior or posterior axial instrumentation/fusion line extending in said axial aspect through the series of adjacent vertebral bodies; bore forming means operable from the exposed anterior or posterior sacral position for boring a curved anterior or posterior trans-sacral axial bore in alignment with said anterior or posterior axial instrumentation/fusion line extending cephalad and axially through or into at least one cephalad vertebral body and intervertebral disc, the anterior or posterior axial bore having a bore curvature in the posterior-anterior plane of the spine; and means for performing a therapeutic procedure in one of a vertebral body or spinal disc located within a human lumbar and sacral spine accessed through the trans-sacral axial bore. - View Dependent Claims (15)
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16. Apparatus for obtaining access to a series of adjacent vertebral bodies located within a human spine, the vertebral bodies separated by intact or damaged intervertebral spinal discs normally formed of a nucleus and annulus, and performing a therapy, the apparatus comprising:
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means for exposing a sacral position of a sacral vertebral body; bore forming means operable from the exposed sacral position for boring a trans-sacral axial bore extending cephalad and axially through a caudal vertebral body, an intervertebral spinal disc, and into a cephalad vertebral body, whereby the axial bore traverses the spinal disc; and a distracting axial spinal implant adapted to be extended into said axial bore to extend cephalad through at least one caudal vertebral body and into or through at least one cephalad vertebral body; means for desiccating at least a portion of the nucleus to form a disc cavity; and means for aspirating byproducts of the desiccation.
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17. A method for performing a therapeutic procedure on one or more of a series of vertebral bodies or any intervertebral spinal disc normally formed of a nucleus and annulus and separating adjacent vertebral bodies of a human spine, the method comprising:
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accessing a posterior sacral position of a sacral vertebral body; from the accessed posterior sacral position, forming a trans-sacral axial bore cephalad and axially through at least the caudal sacral vertebra and through or into at least one cephalad vertebral body of said series of adjacent vertebral bodies and through or into at least one intervertebral spinal disc; and performing a therapeutic procedure in one or both of a vertebral body or spinal disc located within a human spine accessed through the trans-sacral axial bore. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A method for performing a therapeutic procedure of an intervertebral spinal disc of a human spine, the spinal disc having a disc body comprising caudal and cephalad cartilaginous endplates adhered to the respective opposed endplates of adjacent caudal and cephalad vertebral bodies and joined together by a disc annulus and enclosing a disc nucleus, the method comprising the steps of:
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accessing one of an anterior or posterior sacral position of a sacral vertebral body; from the accessed sacral position, boring a curved trans-sacral axial bore cephalad and axially through at least the caudal sacral vertebra and through or into one or more cephalad vertebral bodies of said series of adjacent vertebral bodies and through or into at least one intervertebral spinal disc, thereby forming an axial disc opening; and performing a therapeutic procedure in one or both of a vertebral body or spinal disc located within a human spine accessed through the axial bore and disc opening. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. Apparatus for obtaining access to a series of adjacent vertebral bodies located within a human spine, the vertebral bodies separated by intervertebral spinal discs normally formed of a nucleus and annulus, and performing a therapy, the apparatus comprising:
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means for exposing an anterior sacral position of an anterior sacral vertebral body; bore forming means operable from the exposed anterior sacral position for boring a trans-sacral axial bore cephalad and axially through or into at least one cephalad vertebral body and intervertebral disc; and means for performing a therapeutic procedure in one of a vertebral body or spinal disc located within a human lumbar and sacral spine accessed through the trans-sacral axial bore. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38)
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39. Apparatus for obtaining access to a series of adjacent vertebral bodies located within a human spine, the vertebral bodies separated by intervertebral spinal discs normally formed of a nucleus and annulus, and performing a therapy, the apparatus comprising:
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means for exposing an posterior sacral position of an posterior sacral vertebral body; bore forming means operable from the exposed posterior sacral position for boring a trans-sacral axial bore cephalad and axially through or into at least one cephalad vertebral body and intervertebral disc; and means for performing a therapeutic procedure in one of a vertebral body or spinal disc located within a human lumbar and sacral spine accessed through the trans-sacral axial bore. - View Dependent Claims (40, 41, 42, 43, 44)
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Specification