Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090076614 | Intervertebral Prosthetic Disc with Shock Absorption Core - An artificial intervertebral disc with shock absorption includes upper and lower plates disposed about a shock absorbing movable core. The upper and lower plates have an outer surface which engages a vertebrae and an inner bearing surface. The shock absorbing core includes a unitary member of a rigid material having at least one lateral cut between upper and lower surfaces of the core to allow the upper and lower surfaces to move resiliently toward and away from each other. This allows the core to absorb forces applied to it by the vertebrae. | 03-19-2009 |
20090105833 | Method and Spacer Device for Spanning a Space Formed upon Removal of an Intervertebral Disc - An intervertebral spacer is designed particularly for patients who are not candidates for total disc replacement. The spacer maintains disc height and prevents subsidence with a large vertebral body contacting surface area while substantially reducing recovery time by eliminating the need for bridging bone. The intervertebral spacer or fusion spacer includes a rigid spacer body sized and shaped to fit within an intervertebral space between two vertebral bodies. In one embodiment, the spacer body has two opposed metallic vertebral contacting surfaces, at least one fin extending from each of the vertebral contacting surfaces and configured to be positioned within slots cut into the two vertebral bodies. Holes, if present, cover less than 40 percent of the entire vertebral body contacting surfaces to provide increased bone ongrowth surfaces and to prevent subsidence. | 04-23-2009 |
20090105834 | Dynamic Spacer Device and Method for Spanning a Space Formed upon Removal of an Intervertebral Disc - A compliant intervertebral spacer according to the present invention replaces a damage intervertebral disc and functions to maintain disc height and prevent subsidence with a large surface area while substantially reducing patient recovery time. The compliant intervertebral spacer for spanning a space formed by upon removal of an intervertebral disc includes two end plates sized and shaped to fit within an intervertebral space and a compliant connector interconnecting the inner surfaces of the two end plates in a manner which limits motion between the plates to less than a total of 5 degrees of motion in any direction. The intervertebral spacer is configured to permanently maintain the disc space between the two adjacent discs without the use of bridging bone. | 04-23-2009 |
20090105835 | Vertebral Body Replacement and Method for Spanning a Space Formed upon Removal of a Vertebral Body - A vertebral body replacement includes first and second end plates, and a compliant connector section between the end plates having one or more helical cuts to provide limited compliance between the end plates. The compliant connector section can be provided in a separate spacer that fits between the end plates or directly in one or more of the end plates. The adjoining end plate surfaces, and/or adjoining surfaces of the spacer, include a rotational interlock to inhibit allow the selection an modular stacking assembly of the vertebral body replacement to accommodate a wide range of patients. | 04-23-2009 |
20090192617 | Intervertebral Prosthetic Disc With Shock Absorbing Core Formed With Disc Springs - An artificial intervertebral disc has upper and lower prosthesis plates disposed about a shock absorbing mobile core. The shock absorbing core includes one or more spring washers or disc springs between rigid upper and lower surfaces of the core to allow the upper and lower surfaces to move resiliently toward and away from each other. This allows the core to absorb forces applied to it by the vertebrae. The components of the shock absorbing core including the disc springs are formed of rigid materials having high durability and biocompatibility. | 07-30-2009 |
20090276051 | Polyaryletherketone Artificial Intervertebral Disc - An intervertebral prosthesis for insertion between adjacent vertebrae, in one embodiment, includes upper and lower prosthesis plates and a movable core. The prosthesis plates and optionally the core are formed of polyaryletherketone (PAEK) for improved imaging properties. A metallic insert is provided on each of the PAEK prosthesis plates providing a bone ongrowth surface. | 11-05-2009 |
20100004746 | Limited Motion Prosthetic Intervertebral Disc - A prosthetic intervertebral disc includes an upper plate and a lower plate and employs congruent stepped features to provide limited articulating motion between the plates. The stepped features can be used to provide articulating motion of a rocking type rather than a rubbing or translating type of motion provided in many artificial discs. Each of two parts of the intervertebral disc includes two or more stepped bearing surfaces, having curved or flat shapes, which mate with one another to provide the articulation to the disc. The stepped features can be designed to restrict motion in flexion-extension or lateral bending to less than a predetermined angle. The stepped design can be modified to either allow or prevent rotational motion between the plates. The limited motion disc substantially prevents translation, however some limited translation can be provided by modification of the relative sizes of the stepped features. | 01-07-2010 |
20100030335 | Compliant Implantable Prosthetic Joint With Preloaded Spring - An implantable prosthetic joint has a first component for attaching to a first bone and a second component for attaching to a second bone wherein the first and second components are connected in an articulating manner to provide the motion of a prosthetic joint. The joint includes at least one spring to provide compliance to the prosthetic joint. The at least one spring is preloaded in the artificial joint such that the spring is not allowed to move to a completely relaxed position. This preloading of the spring allows the maximum deflection of the spring to be used for shock absorption because the spring does not deform substantially when the implanted prosthetic joint is moved from an at rest position to a loaded or standing position. The prosthetic joints according to the present invention can include artificial hips, knees, shoulders, ankles, and intervertebral discs. | 02-04-2010 |
20100087868 | Motion Limiting Insert For An Artificial Intervertebral Disc - A spacer for an artificial spinal disc arrangement is provided. The artificial disc arrangement includes an upper plate, a lower plate, and articulating surfaces between the upper and lower plates arranged to permit motion between the upper and lower plates. The spacer has a first surface for contacting the upper plate and a second surface for contacting the lower plate and is of sufficient thickness such that, when disposed between the upper and lower plates, the spacer limits motion between the upper and lower plates. An artificial disc, a method of limiting motion of an artificial disc in a patient, and a method of performing spinal disc surgery are also disclosed. | 04-08-2010 |
20100312347 | Polyaryletherketone artificial intervertebral disc - An intervertebral prosthesis for insertion between adjacent vertebrae, in one embodiment, includes upper and lower prosthesis plates and a movable core. The prosthesis plates and optionally the core are formed of polyaryletherketone (PAEK) for improved imaging properties. A metallic insert is provided on each of the PAEK prosthesis plates providing a bone ongrowth surface. | 12-09-2010 |
20130274880 | ANATOMY ACCOMODATING PROSTHETIC INTERVERTEBRAL DISC WITH LOWER HEIGHT - An intervertebral disc includes a superior endplate having an upper vertebral contacting surface and a lower bearing surface, wherein the upper vertebral contacting surface of the superior endplate has a central portion that is raised relative to a peripheral portion of the superior endplate, and wherein the lower bearing surface has a concavity disposed opposite the raised central portion. The disc includes an inferior endplate having a lower vertebral contacting surface and an upper surface, wherein the lower vertebral contacting surface of the inferior endplate has a central portion and wherein the upper bearing surface has a concavity disposed opposite the central portion. A core is positioned between the upper and inferior endplates, the core having upper and lower core bearing surfaces configured to mate with the bearing surfaces of the upper and inferior endplates. The upper vertebral contacting surface of the superior endplate has a different shape than the lower vertebral contacting surface of the inferior endplate. | 10-17-2013 |
20140257493 | ARTIFICIAL INTERVERTEBRAL DISC WITH LOWER HEIGHT - An intervertebral disc is provided having an upper plate, a lower plate, and a core. The upper and lower plates include outer vertebral body contacting surfaces which are provided with attachment enhancing features to ensure bone integration. The attachment enhancing features shown include one or more fins, serrations and teeth. An opposite surface of the plates from the vertebral body contacting surfaces is formed with a recess which serves as a bearing surface for the core. In order to form an intervertebral disc with a lower disc height, at least one of the recesses is provided opposite a corresponding dome shaped portion on the vertebral body contacting surfaces. This allows the plates to be formed with a thinner profile for a smaller overall disc height. In addition to providing a lower overall height to the artificial disc, the dome shaped portion of the plates also provides a more anatomically shaped outer vertebral body contacting surface. | 09-11-2014 |
20140336765 | ANATOMY ACCOMODATING PROSTHETIC INTERVERTEBRAL DISC WITH LOWER HEIGHT - An intervertebral disc includes a superior endplate having an upper vertebral contacting surface and a lower bearing surface, wherein the upper vertebral contacting surface of the superior endplate has a central portion that is raised relative to a peripheral portion of the superior endplate, and wherein the lower bearing surface has a concavity disposed opposite the raised central portion. The disc includes an inferior endplate having a lower vertebral contacting surface and an upper surface, wherein the lower vertebral contacting surface of the inferior endplate has a central portion and wherein the upper bearing surface has a concavity disposed opposite the central portion. A core is positioned between the upper and inferior endplates, the core having upper and lower core bearing surfaces configured to mate with the bearing surfaces of the upper and inferior endplates. The upper vertebral contacting surface of the superior endplate has a different shape than the lower vertebral contacting surface of the inferior endplate. | 11-13-2014 |