EXPANDABLE IMPLANT

• US 20170042694A1
• Filed: 10/28/2016
• Published: 02/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Depuy Synthes Products Incorporated (Johnson & Johnson)
• Original Assignee: Depuy Synthes Products Incorporated (Johnson & Johnson)
• Inventors: Lechmann, Beat, Burkard, Dominique, Schwager, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 10,058,433 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/441 made of inflatable pockets or chambers filled with fluid, e.g. with hydrogel
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/442 Intervertebral or spinal discs, e.g. resilient non-disc-shaped intervertebral inflatable pockets A61F2/441; non-disc-shaped intervertebral fusion implants A61F2/4455
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/4425 made of articulated components
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/447 substantially parallelepipedal, e.g. having a rectangular or trapezoidal cross-section
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/4611 of spinal prostheses
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/484 Fluid means, i.e. hydraulic or pneumatic
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30019 differing in mechanical expandability, e.g. in mechanical, self- or balloon expandability
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30179 X-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30359 Pyramidally- or frustopyramidally-shaped protrusion and recess
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30467 using hook and loop-type fasteners
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30505 spring biased
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30537 adjustable
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/3055 for adjusting length
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30556 for adjusting thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30579 with mechanically expandable devices, e.g. fixation devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30581 having a pocket filled with fluid, e.g. liquid
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30583 filled with hardenable fluid, e.g. curable in-situ
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30586 having two or more inflatable pockets or chambers
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30828 parallel
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30836 knurled
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30909 : Nets
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30912 : made of expanded metal, e.g. diamond mesh or metal nets having lozenge-shaped apertures
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2310/00017 : Iron- or Fe-based alloys, e.g. stainless steel
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2310/00023 : Titanium or titanium-based alloys, e.g. Ti-Ni alloys
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2310/00029 : Cobalt-based alloys, e.g. Co-Cr alloys or Vitallium
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2310/00047 : Aluminium or Al-based alloys
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2310/00101 : Molybdenum or Mo-based alloys
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2310/00359 : Bone or bony tissue
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2310/00407 : Coating made of titanium or of Ti-based alloys
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2310/00796 : Coating or prosthesis-covering structure made of a phosphorus-containing compound, e.g. hydroxy(l)apatite

Abstract

An expandable implant for inserting within a skeletal space is provided, and a method for using the implant to expand the skeletal space. The implant is preferably designed to be inserted into an intervertebral space to replace at least part of an intervertebral disc between adjacent vertebral bodies. The expandable implant contains at least one first expansion compartment and at least one second expansion compartments, which compartments can be inflatable balloons that are inflated by a catheter. Inflating the first expansion compartment expands the implant in a first direction and inflating the second expansion compartment expands the implant in a second direction.

Claims

1. (canceled)

2. An intervertebral implant expandable in at least a first direction, the implant comprising:

a first bone contacting member defining a first bone contacting surface configured to face a first vertebra;

a second bone contacting member defining a second bone contacting surface configured to face a second vertebra, the second bone contacting surface spaced from the first bone contacting surface in a second direction that is perpendicular to the first direction, wherein one of the first and second bone contacting members further comprises a fixing member, and the implant is configured to be inserted into an intervertebral space in a third direction that is perpendicular to the first and second directions; and

an expansion compartment positioned between the first and second bone contacting surfaces, wherein the expansion compartment is expandable so as to expand the implant along the first direction, wherein the expansion compartment further comprises a coupling element configured to be coupled to the fixing member, wherein, when the coupling element is coupled to the fixing member, expansion of the implant along the first direction causes the coupling element to detach from the fixing member.

3. The intervertebral implant of claim 2, wherein the first bone contacting member comprises a first component and a second component spaced from the first component along the first direction, and the second bone contacting member comprises a third component and a fourth component spaced from the third component along the first direction.

4. The intervertebral implant of claim 3, wherein a select one of the first, second, third, and fourth components is restricted from tilting relative to another of the first, second, third, and fourth components when the coupling element is coupled to the fixing member, and the select one of the first, second, third, and fourth components is permitted to tilt relative to the another of the first, second, third, and fourth component when the coupling element is detached from the fixing member.

5. The intervertebral implant of claim 4, wherein the expansion compartment is positioned between the third and fourth components in the first direction, the expansion compartment is elongate along the third direction, and the third and fourth components and the expansion compartment are collectively configured such that expansion of the expansion compartment increases a distance between the third and fourth components in the first direction so as to expand the implant in the first direction.

6. The intervertebral implant of claim 5, further comprising a second expansion compartment that is positioned between the third and fourth components and is adjacent the first expansion compartment in the first direction.

7. The intervertebral implant of claim 6, wherein the fixing member is a first protrusion defined by the third component, the first protrusion is elongate in the first direction, the coupling component is a first hook, the first hook is received over the first protrusion prior to expansion of the implant in the first direction, the fourth component defines a second protrusion elongate in the first direction and facing the first protrusion, the second expansion compartment comprises a second hook that is received over the second protrusion prior to expansion of the implant in the first direction, and the first and second hooks are configured to slide off the first and second protrusions, respectively, responsive to the distance between the third and fourth components increasing in the first direction.

8. The intervertebral implant of claim 7, further comprising:

a third expansion compartment positioned between the first and third components, wherein the third expansion compartment is expandable so as increase a distance between the first and third components in the second direction; and

a fourth expansion compartment positioned between the second and fourth components, wherein the fourth expansion compartment is expandable so as to increase a distance between the second and fourth components in the second direction.

9. The intervertebral implant of claim 8, wherein:

the first component comprises a third protrusion elongate in the second direction;

the second component comprises a fourth protrusion elongate in the second direction;

the third expansion compartment comprises a third hook received over the third protrusion; and

the fourth expansion compartment comprises a fourth hook received over the fourth protrusion, the third hook is configured to slide off the third protrusion responsive to the distance between the first and third components increasing in the second direction, and the fourth hook is configured to slide off the fourth protrusion responsive to the distance between the second and fourth components increasing in the second direction.

10. The intervertebral implant of claim 9, wherein each of the first, second, third, and fourth components is restricted from tilting relative to each of the other of the first, second, third, and fourth components when the first, second, third, and fourth hooks are received over the first, second, third, and fourth hooks, respectively, and each of the first, second, third, and fourth components is permitted to tilt relative to each of the other of the first, second, third, and fourth components after the first, second, third, and fourth hooks slide off the first, second, third, and fourth protrusions, respectively.

11. The intervertebral implant of claim 8, further comprising:

a first expandable connection coupled to the first and second components; and

a second expandable connection coupled to the third and fourth components, wherein each of the first and second expandable connections is expandable in the first direction.

12. The intervertebral implant of claim 11, further comprising:

a third expandable connection coupled to the first and third components; and

a fourth expandable connection coupled to the third and fourth components, wherein each of the third and fourth expandable connections is expandable in the second direction.

13. The intervertebral implant of claim 12, wherein each of the first, second, third, and fourth expandable connections comprises wire netting that includes a plurality of individual link members.

14. The intervertebral implant of claim 8, wherein each of the first, second, third, and fourth expansion compartments comprises a balloon having an opening configured to receive filling material for causing expansion of the balloon.

15. The intervertebral implant of claim 8, wherein the first and second components collectively define the first bone contacting surface, and the third and fourth components collectively define the second bone contacting surface.

17. The intervertebral implant of claim 2, wherein the expansion compartment is a first expansion compartment, and the implant further comprises a second expansion compartment positioned between the first and second bone contacting members, and the second expansion compartment is expandable so as to move the first and second bone contacting surfaces away from one another in the second direction.

18. The intervertebral implant of claim 17, wherein the second expansion compartment is positioned relative to the first and second bone contacting members so as to cause tilting of one of the first and second bone contacting surfaces relative to the other of the first and second bone contacting surfaces responsive to expansion of the second expansion compartment.

19. The intervertebral implant of claim 18, wherein one of the first and second bone contacting members further comprises a second fixing member, the second expansion compartment further comprises a second coupling element configured to be coupled to the second fixing member, and, when the second coupling element is coupled to the second fixing member, expansion of the implant along the second direction causes the second coupling element to detach from the second fixing member.

20. The intervertebral implant of claim 19, wherein tilting one of the first and second bone contacting surfaces relative to the other of the first and second bone contacting surfaces is restricted when the second coupling element is coupled to the second fixing member, and the one of the first and second bone contacting members is permitted to tilt relative to the other of the first and second bone contacting members when the second coupling element is detached from the second fixing member.

21. The intervertebral implant of claim 20, further comprising a third expansion compartment positioned between the first and second bone contacting members, the third expansion compartment spaced from the second expansion compartment in the first direction, wherein the third expansion compartment is expandable so as to move the first and second bone contacting surfaces away from one another in the second direction.