Percutaneous spinal implants and methods

• US 8,568,461 B2
• Filed: 05/27/2008
• Issued: 10/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyphon SARL (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Warsaw Orthopedic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Kohm, Andrew C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Iwamaye, Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): COBURN, LESLIE ANN
• Application Number:
  US12/127,215
• Publication Number:
  US 20080288072A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,981 Days
• Field of Search: 606/246, 606/248, 606/279, 623 1711- 1716
• US Class Current: 606/279
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/025 Joint distractors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/7065 Devices with changeable shape, e.g. collapsible or having retractable arms to aid implantation; Tools therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00557 inflatable A61B2017/22051 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0256 for the spine

Abstract

Medical devices and related methods for the treatment of spinal conditions are described herein. In one embodiment, a method includes disposing at least a portion of a support member into a space between adjacent spinous processes. The support member defines a lumen between a proximal end and a distal end of the support member. An expandable member is inserted through the lumen of the support member such that a distal end portion of the expandable member is disposed outside a distal end of the lumen and a proximal end portion of the expandable member is disposed outside a proximal end of the lumen. The distal end portion and the proximal end portion of the expandable member are then expanded such that each of the distal end portion and the proximal end portion of the expandable member has an outer diameter greater than an outer diameter of the support member.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

disposing at least a portion of a support member into a space between adjacent spinous processes, the support member having a central portion of the support member and defining a lumen extending from a proximal exterior endface of the support member to a distal exterior endface of the support member, the support member having a noncontiguous outer surface and includes a first portion having a first end and a second end and a second portion being separate from the first portion, the second portion having a first end and a second end, a hinge pivotally coupling the first end of the first portion to the first end of the second portion, a gap formed between the second end of the first portion and the second end of the second portion,

inserting an expandable member through the lumen of the support member such that a distal end portion of the expandable member is disposed outside a distal end of the lumen of the support member and a proximal end portion of the expandable member is disposed outside a proximal end of the lumen of the support member, the expandable member includes a central portion between the distal end portion of the expandable member and the proximal end portion of the expandable member;

after the disposing and the inserting and while the lumen extends transversely through a sagittal plane defined by the spinous processes and the expandable member is in contact with the lumen along substantially the entire length thereof, expanding the distal end portion of the expandable member and the proximal end portion of the expandable member by injecting a medium into an interior of the expandable member such that;

each of the distal end portion of the expandable member and the proximal end portion of the expandable member has an outer diameter greater than an outer diameter of the support member;

the distal end portion of the expandable member extends more distally than the support member and is disposed on a first lateral side of the sagittal plane; and

the proximal end portion of the expandable member extends more proximally than the support member and is disposed on an opposite lateral side of the sagittal plane;

the central portion of the support member expands such that the first portion of the support member moves relative to the second portion of the support member about the hinge and the adjacent spinous processes are distracted;

during the expanding the central portion of the support member expands such that the first portion of the support member moves relative to and away from the second portion of the support member such that the gap increases in size;

wherein a longitudinal length of the support member is substantially the same the prior to the expanding of the expandable member and after the expanding of the expandable member, the longitudinal length extending from the distal end of the support member to the proximal end of the support member;

wherein, prior to the expanding of the expandable member, the support member extends farther outward radially with respect to a longitudinal axis of the lumen than both the distal and proximal end portions of the expandable member.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the disposing includes disposing the support member at a first location within a space between adjacent spinous processes, the method further comprising:

after the expanding, collapsing the distal end portion of the expandable member and the proximal end portion of the expandable member; and

disposing the support member at a second location within the space between adjacent spinous processes, the second location being different than the first location.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

after the expanding, collapsing the distal end portion of the expandable member and the proximal end portion of the expandable member; and

removing the expandable member from the support member.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

after the expanding, collapsing the distal end portion of the expandable member and the proximal end portion of the expandable member;

removing the expandable member from the support member; and

after the removing, removing the support member from the space between the adjacent spinous processes.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the inserting the expandable member is after the disposing.

6. The method of claim 1:

wherein the expanding comprises moving, in response to said injecting, the first portion of the support member and the second portion of the support member from a collapsed configuration to an expanded configuration.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

prior to the disposing, inserting a guide wire into the space between adjacent spinous processes,

the disposing includes passing the support member of the spinal implant over the guidewire via the lumen of the support member.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

after the expanding, collapsing the distal end portion of the expandable member and the proximal end portion of the expandable member;

after the collapsing, removing the expandable member from the support member while the support member is at least partially disposed in the space between the adjacent spinous processes; and

after the removing, of the expandable member removing the support member from the space between the adjacent spinous processes.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the disposing includes disposing the support member at a first location within a space between adjacent spinous processes, the method further comprising:

after the expanding, collapsing the distal end portion of the expandable member and the proximal end portion of the expandable member; and

disposing the support member at a second location within the space between adjacent spinous processes, the second location being different than the first location.

10. The method of claim 6 wherein the moving the first portion of the support member and the second portion of the support member from the collapsed configuration to the expanded configuration comprises rotating the first portion of the support member relative to the second portion of the support member about the hinge that interconnects the first and second portions of the support member.