Locking screw assembly for facilitating direct lateral interbody fusion procedures
AssigneePhoenix Spine Holdings, Inc.
InventorDaniel Lieberman
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Methods and apparatus for affixing a retaining washer proximate an interbody region following a direct lateral interbody fusion (DLIF) procedure. The system includes an installation device characterized by a width dimension W and a length dimension L; a retaining washer having a substantially planar surface region, the retaining washer configured to retain an interbody graft within an interbody region; and a screw having a shaft configured to secure the retaining washer to a vertebral body. The screw and the washer are configured to orient the screw shaft along an angle θ, where θ is a function of W and L.
Claims9
A surgical assembly for affixing a retaining washer proximate an interbody region following a direct lateral interbody fusion (DLIF) procedure, the assembly comprising:
- an installation device characterized by a width dimension W and a length dimension L;
- a retaining washer having a substantially planar surface region, the retaining washer configured to retain an interbody graft within an interbody region;
- and
- a screw having a shaft configured to secure the retaining washer to a vertebral body;
- wherein:
- the screw and the washer are configured to orient the screw shaft along an angle θ, where θ is a function of W and L;
- the screw comprises a head having a substantially flat underside;
- the screw shaft is oriented at angle θ relative to a line orthogonal to the substantially flat underside of the screw head;
- and
- the screw shaft comprises a first locking mechanism extending along a portion of the shaft proximate the head, and the washer comprises a second locking mechanism configured to engage the first locking mechanism.
A method of installing a major lobe of a retaining plate between adjacent boney anatomical structures during a surgical procedure, the method comprising:
- placing an installation tube adjacent a surgical site, the installation tube being characterized by a width dimension W, a length dimension L, and an insertion angle θ which is proportional to the arctangent of the quantity [W/L];
- placing the retaining plate adjacent one of the boney anatomical structures;
- introducing a screw and a distal end of a drive tool into the installation tube;
- inserting the screw into a through-hole of the retaining plate, wherein the through-hole is inclined at the angle θ relative to a line orthogonal to the plane of the retaining plate;
- and
- rotating the screw along its axis to simultaneously:
- i) secure the screw to one of the boney anatomical structures;
- and ii) orient a major lobe of the retaining plate between the adjacent boney anatomical structures.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.