Bone treatment systems and methods
First Claim
1. A system for treating bone, comprising:
- a bone cement injection assembly having a flow channel extending therethrough for injecting bone cement into an interior of a bone;
an energy source coupled to a thermal energy emitter configured to apply energy to the bone cement flowing through the flow channel to controllably alter the viscosity of the bone cement within the flow channel;
one or more sensors configured to provide a measurement of a parameter of the bone cement flowing through the flow channel; and
a controller coupleable to the energy source, the controller including algorithms that ramp-up and ramp-down power delivery from the energy source to the thermal energy emitter based at least in part on a measurement from the one or more sensors.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention relates in certain embodiments to medical devices for treating vertebral compression fractures. More particularly, embodiments of the invention relate to instruments and methods for controllably restoring vertebral body height by controlling the flow of bone cement into the interior of a vertebra and the application of forces causes by the cement flow. An exemplary system utilizes Rf energy in combination a conductive bone cement for selectively polymerizing the inflow plume to increase the viscosity of the cement. In one aspect of the invention, the system utilizes a controller to control bone cement flow parameters to either allow or disallow cement interdigitation into cancellous bone. A method of the invention includes pulsing the flows of bone cement wherein high acceleration of the flow pulses can apply expansion forces across the surface of the cement plume to reduce a vertebral fracture.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A system for treating bone, comprising:
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a bone cement injection assembly having a flow channel extending therethrough for injecting bone cement into an interior of a bone; an energy source coupled to a thermal energy emitter configured to apply energy to the bone cement flowing through the flow channel to controllably alter the viscosity of the bone cement within the flow channel; one or more sensors configured to provide a measurement of a parameter of the bone cement flowing through the flow channel; and a controller coupleable to the energy source, the controller including algorithms that ramp-up and ramp-down power delivery from the energy source to the thermal energy emitter based at least in part on a measurement from the one or more sensors. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. An osteoplasty system comprising:
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an introducer assembly with a flow channel extending therethrough for introducing bone cement into a bone; an electrical source operatively connected to at least one thermal energy emitter configured to apply energy to the bone cement contemporaneously with the bone cement flowing through the flow channel to controllably alter the viscosity of the bone cement within the flow channel; and a means for electrically adjusting power delivery from the electrical source to the at least one thermal energy emitter based at least in part on algorithms that ramp-up and ramp-down said power delivery based at least in part on a sensed parameter measurement of the bone cement as the bone cement flows through the flow channel. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A system for treating bone, comprising:
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a bone cement injector assembly having an internal flow channel extending therethrough for injecting bone cement into an interior of a bone; a thermal energy emitter configured to apply energy to the bone cement flowing through the internal flow channel to controllably alter a property of the bone cement within the internal flow channel; one or more sensors configured to provide a measurement of a parameter of the bone cement flowing through the internal flow channel; and a controller coupleable to an energy source, the controller including algorithms that ramp-up and ramp-down power delivery from the energy source to the thermal energy emitter based at least in part on a measurement from the one or more sensors. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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Specification