Expandable intervertebral implant and methods of use thereof
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An expandable intervertebral implant comprising:
- a plurality of links coupled to one another by a plurality of hinges, each of said links comprising upper and lower portions; and
an expansion mechanism operatively connected to said links that moves said upper portion closer or further with respect to said lower portion, and wherein said upper and lower portions comprise a pivot point such that said upper portion moves non-parallel and/or non-symmetrically with respect to said lower portion,wherein the expansion mechanism comprises a ball linkage and a pocket in the upper portion and a pocket in the lower portion, the pockets aligned to form a ball linkage pocket such that the ball linkage rests in the ball linkage pocket when the implant is in an unexpanded state, and wherein displacement of the ball linkage from the ball linkage pocket causes expansion of the implant.
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Abstract
An expandable intervertebral implant including a first wall comprised of a male portion and a female portion in telescoping engagement with each other and a second wall comprised of a plurality of links, wherein the first wall and second wall are coupled to each other by hinges at each of the leading and trailing ends of the implant. The expandable implant is configured to be inserted into a disc space in a collapsed, narrow profile configuration and then unilaterally expanded in an anterior or posterior direction to a fully expanded, larger foot print configuration.
120 Citations
5 Claims
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1. An expandable intervertebral implant comprising:
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a plurality of links coupled to one another by a plurality of hinges, each of said links comprising upper and lower portions; and an expansion mechanism operatively connected to said links that moves said upper portion closer or further with respect to said lower portion, and wherein said upper and lower portions comprise a pivot point such that said upper portion moves non-parallel and/or non-symmetrically with respect to said lower portion, wherein the expansion mechanism comprises a ball linkage and a pocket in the upper portion and a pocket in the lower portion, the pockets aligned to form a ball linkage pocket such that the ball linkage rests in the ball linkage pocket when the implant is in an unexpanded state, and wherein displacement of the ball linkage from the ball linkage pocket causes expansion of the implant. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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Specification