Low profile intervertebral implant

• US 8,540,774 B2
• Filed: 11/05/2008
• Issued: 09/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DePuy Synthes Products LLC (Johnson & Johnson)
• Original Assignee: DePuy Synthes Products LLC (Johnson & Johnson)
• Inventors: Kueenzi, Thomas, Walsh, Ryan, Pepe, Tom, Hunziker, Markus, Koch, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Yang, Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jones, Diana S
• Application Number:
  US12/743,098
• Publication Number:
  US 20100312346A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,784 Days
• Field of Search: 623 1711- 1716
• US Class Current: 623/17.16
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/7059 Cortical plates A61B17/7007, A61B17/7058 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/8033 having indirect contact with screw heads, or having contact with screw heads maintained with the aid of additional components, e.g. nuts, wedges or head covers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/86 Pins or screws or threaded wires; nuts therefor A61B17/72 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/28 Bones joints A61F2/30
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/44 for the spine, e.g. vertebrae, spinal discs
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/4425 made of articulated components
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/4455 for the fusion of spinal bodies, e.g. intervertebral fusion of adjacent spinal bodies, e.g. fusion cages intervertebral discs A61F2/442
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/447 substantially parallelepipedal, e.g. having a rectangular or trapezoidal cross-section
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30077 shrinkable
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30092 using shape memory or superelastic materials, e.g. nitinol
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/302 toroidal, e.g. rings
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30331 made by longitudinally pushing a protrusion into a complementarily-shaped recess, e.g. held by friction fit
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30387 Dovetail connection
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30485 plastically deformable
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/305 Snap connection
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30507 using a threaded locking member, e.g. a locking screw or a set screw
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30578 having apertures, e.g. for receiving fixation screws
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30604 modular
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30787 inclined obliquely with respect to each other
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2210/0014 using shape memory or superelastic materials, e.g. nitinol
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2210/0066 : shrinkable
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2220/0025 : Connections or couplings between prosthetic parts, e.g. between modular parts; Connecting elements
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2220/0033 : made by longitudinally pushing a protrusion into a complementary-shaped recess, e.g. held by friction fit
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/0065 : toroidal, e.g. ring-shaped, doughnut-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/0073 : Quadric-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2310/00023 : Titanium or titanium-based alloys, e.g. Ti-Ni alloys
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2310/00323 : containing titanium nitride
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2310/00359 : Bone or bony tissue

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a low profile intervertebral implant (10) for implantation in an intervertebral disc space (D) in-between adjacent vertebral bodies (V). The intervertebral implant includes a plate (40) preferably coupled to a spacer (20). The plate is preferably formed from a first material and the spacer is preferably formed from a second material, the first material being different from the second material. The plate is preferably sized and configured so that the plate does not extend beyond the perimeter of the spacer. In this manner, the plate preferably does not increase the height profile (hs) of the spacer and the plate may be implanted within the intervertebral disc space in conjunction with the spacer.

Claims

1. A low profile intervertebral implant sized and configured to be implanted between adjacent upper and lower vertebral bodies, the implant comprising:

a spacer having a first insertion end, a second end opposite the first insertion end, a first lateral surface, a second lateral surface, an upper surface for contacting the upper vertebral body when in an implanted configuration, a lower surface for contacting the lower vertebral body when in the implanted configuration; and

a plate coupled to the second end of the spacer, the plate including a plurality of through holes for receiving a plurality of bone screws for securing the implant to the adjacent vertebral bodies, the plate having a height H_p while the second end of the spacer has a height H_s, the height H_p of the plate being equal to or less than the height of the spacer H_s so that the plate does not increase a height profile of the spacer; and

wherein the plate is coupled to the spacer via first and second arms extending from the plate, the first arm extending along the first lateral surface of the spacer, having a first end, and bending around the first insertion end of the spacer and the second arm extending along the second lateral surface of the spacer, having a second end, and bending around the first insertion end of the spacer, wherein the first and second ends of the first and second arms define a gap therebetween.

2. The implant of claim 1, wherein the plate is formed from a first material and the spacer is formed from a second material, the first material being different from the second material.

3. The implant of claim 2, wherein the first material is a metallic material and the second material is non-metallic.

4. The implant of claim 1, wherein the first and second arms are in the form of a split ring.

5. The implant of claim 4, wherein the first and second arms defining the split ring are deformable around the spacer.

6. The implant of claim 4, wherein the first and second arms defining the split ring are selectively interconnected with one another so that the first and second arms may be placed around the spacer and then tightened to operatively couple the plate to the spacer.

7. The implant of claim 1, wherein the gap is located along the first insertion end of the spacer.

8. The implant of claim 1, wherein the gap is located proximate a corner of the spacer, and the corner is located at an intersection of the first insertion end and the first lateral surface or an intersection of the first insertion end and the second lateral surface.

9. The implant of claim 1, wherein the spacer is a single spacer.

10. The implant of claim 1, wherein the spacer comprises a coplanar upper surface and a coplanar lower surface.

11. The implant of claim 10, wherein the upper surface of the spacer or the lower surface of the spacer is tapered.

12. The implant of claim 1, wherein the plurality of through holes are angled with respect to the upper surface of the spacer and the lower surface of the spacer.

13. The implant of claim 1, wherein the spacer is formed of an allograft.

14. The implant of claim 1, wherein the upper and lower surfaces of the spacer include a series of teeth.

15. A low profile intervertebral implant sized and configured to be implanted between adjacent upper and lower vertebral bodies, the implant comprising:

a spacer having a first insertion end, a second end opposite the first insertion end, a first lateral surface, a second lateral surface, an upper surface for contacting the upper vertebral body when in an implanted configuration, a lower surface for contacting the lower vertebral body when in the implanted configuration; and

a plate coupled to the second end of the spacer, the plate including a plurality of through holes for receiving a plurality of bone screws for securing the implant to the adjacent vertebral bodies, the plate having a height H_p while the second end of the spacer has a height H_s, the height H_p of the plate being equal to or less than the height of the spacer H_s so that the plate does not increase a height profile of the spacer; and

wherein the plate is coupled to the spacer via first and second arms extending from the plate with a gap therebetween, the first arm extending along the first lateral surface of the spacer and bending around the first insertion end of the spacer and the second arm extending along the second lateral surface of the spacer and bending around the first insertion end of the spacer.