Spinal fusion instrumentation, implant and method

• US 7,918,888 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Issued: 04/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: James S. Hamada
• Original Assignee: James S. Hamada
• Inventors: Hamada, James S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Philogene; Pedro
• Application Number:
  US11/981,950
• Publication Number:
  US 20080065222A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,252 Days
• Field of Search: 606 1711- 1716, 623 1711- 1716
• US Class Current: 623/17.11
• 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 2/4465 having a circular or kidney shaped cross-section substantially perpendicular to the axis of the spine
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/4601 for introducing bone substitute, for implanting bone graft implants or for compacting them in the bone cavity
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/4611 of spinal prostheses
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/4657 Measuring instruments used for implanting artificial joints for surgical instruments A61B90/06
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/2817 Bone stimulation by chemical reactions or by osteogenic or biological products for enhancing ossification, e.g. by bone morphogenetic or morphogenic proteins [BMP] or by transforming growth factors [TGF]
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/2835 Bone graft implants for filling a bony defect or an endoprosthesis cavity, e.g. by synthetic material or biological material
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/2839 Bone plugs or bone graft dowels
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30133 kidney-shaped or bean-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/302 toroidal, e.g. rings
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/3023 wedge-shaped cylinders
• 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 2002/30492 using a locking pin
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30563 having elastic means or damping means, different from springs, e.g. including an elastomeric core or shock absorbers
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30565 having spring elements
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30593 hollow
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30828 parallel
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/4622 having the shape of a forceps or a clamp
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/4627 with linear motion along or rotating motion about the instrument axis or the implantation direction, e.g. telescopic, along a guiding rod, screwing inside the instrument
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/4628 with linear motion along or rotating motion about an axis transverse to the instrument axis or to the implantation direction, e.g. clamping
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/4649 : Bone graft or bone dowel harvest sites
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/4666 : for measuring force, pressure or mechanical tension
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/4681 : by applying mechanical shocks, e.g. by hammering
• 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 2230/0015 : Kidney-shaped, e.g. bean-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/0065 : toroidal, e.g. ring-shaped, doughnut-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/0069 : cylindrical
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2310/00365 : Proteins; Polypeptides; Degradation products thereof

Abstract

A system and method includes surgical instrumentation, implants, bone graft material, and measurement equipment to enable a spine fusion procedure to proceed more accurately, efficiently and safely by allowing precision measurement of the characteristics of the intervertebral space, selection of and provision of new implants, placement of an intervertebral implant, and to help overcome bone resorption all where improved healing thereafter takes place.

Claims

1. A bone implant useful in spine fusion procedures comprising:

an upper implant section;

a lower implant section having an outer periphery generally coextensive with the upper implant section; and

a force mechanism for urging the upper implant section away from the lower implant section to help insure quicker bone growth bonding of the upper implant section and the lower implant section to adjacent vertebral bone tissue, and

wherein the upper implant section has first surface facing away from the lower implant section and includes at least a first series of slots, and wherein the lower implant section has first surface facing away from the upper implant section and includes at least a second series of slots, the first and second series of slots to provide expanded surface area for bone growth.

2. The bone implant as recited in claim 1 wherein both the upper and lower implant sections have an opening for enabling a column of bone growth to extend between adjacent vertebra upon implantation and to form a bone column through the bone implant openings upon healing.

3. The bone implant as recited in claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the first and second series of slots are evenly spaced apart from each other.

4. The bone implant as recited in claim 1 wherein an angle of the first and the series of slots with respect to the first surface is from about fifty degrees to about seventy degrees.

5. The bone implant as recited in claim 1 wherein the force mechanism is a resilient material which exerts at least one of force and displacement of the upper implant section with respect to and away from the lower implant section.

6. The bone implant as recited in claim 5 wherein the resilient material is distributed about the implant in a bilaterally symmetrical orientation to balance the force across the implant.

7. The bone implant as recited in claim 5 wherein the resilient material is wave shaped.

8. The bone implant as recited in claim 5 wherein the upper implant section includes a pair of spaced apart lower facing slots facing the lower implant section and wherein the lower implant section includes a pair of upper facing slots facing and opposing the upper implant section and wherein the resilient material is supported between the respective ones of the lower facing and the upper facing slots, and wherein the combination of the resilient material and the lower facing and the upper facing slots provide a sole source of lateral stability of the upper implant section with respect to the lower implant section.

9. A bone implant useful in spine fusion procedures comprising:

an upper implant section;

a lower implant section having an outer periphery generally coextensive with the upper implant section; and

a force mechanism for urging the upper implant section away from the lower implant section to help insure quicker bone growth bonding of the upper implant section and the lower implant section to adjacent vertebral bone tissue, and wherein at least one of the upper and lower implant sections includes an annular projection into an opening in the other one of the upper and lower implant sections to provide for lateral stability of the upper implant section with respect to the lower implant section.

10. The bone implant as recited in claim 9 wherein the upper implant section includes a pair of spaced apart lower facing slots facing the lower implant section and wherein the lower implant section includes a pair of upper facing slots facing and opposing the upper implant section and wherein the resilient material is supported between the respective ones of the lower facing and the upper facing slots, and wherein each pair of slots lie on opposite sides of the annular projection.

11. A bone implant useful in spine fusion procedures comprising:

an upper implant section;

a lower implant section having an outer periphery generally coextensive with the upper implant section; and

a force mechanism for urging the upper implant section away from the lower implant section to help insure quicker bone growth bonding of the upper implant section and the lower implant section to adjacent vertebral bone tissue, and wherein at least one of the upper and lower implant sections includes an projection into a slot in the other one of the upper and lower implant sections to provide for lateral stability of the upper implant section with respect to the lower implant section.

12. The bone implant as recited in claim 11 wherein the resilient material is located in the slot and wherein the annular projection compresses the resilient material.