US 11,446,163 B1Granted

Cannulated endplate plunger

AssigneeAdvanced Research Systems, Inc.

InventorsHamid R. Abbasi, Stuart J. Olstad

Life of this patent

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Abstract

An endplate plunger for implanting a growth-promoting tether between opposed adjacent vertebrae. The endplate plunger includes resilient arm assemblies that store potential energy when the endplate plunger is in a retracted configuration. In transitioning from the retracted configuration to a deployed configuration, the potential energy is released in a burst of kinetic energy, causing tip portions at the distal ends of the resilient arm assemblies to be thrust into the adjacent vertebrae. In some embodiments, each tip portion forms a cleft in the respective vertebral endplate and deposits the tether therein. The tether is thereby anchored directly in the clefts, without need for separately formed anchors. In some embodiments, devices and methods are disclosed to route the tether through an implanted spinal implant.

Claims20

Dependent claims

An endplate plunger assembly for anchoring a tether to opposed adjacent end plates of a spine, comprising:

a sleeve defining an outer radial dimension at an open distal end;
a shaft disposed within said sleeve, said shaft being translatable within said sleeve and including a distal end portion that is proximate said open distal end of said sleeve;
a first resilient arm assembly affixed to said distal end portion of said shaft, said first resilient arm assembly including a proximal end portion and a distal end portion separated by a mid portion, said distal end portion of said first resilient arm assembly including a first tip portion that defines and extends along a first tip axis to a first distal extremity;
and
a second resilient arm assembly affixed to said distal end portion of said shaft, said second resilient arm assembly including a proximal end portion and a distal end portion separated by a mid portion, said distal end portion of said second resilient arm assembly including a second tip portion that defines and extends along a second tip axis to a second distal extremity,
wherein:
in a deployed configuration, said first tip axis is oriented to extend radially outward to said first distal extremity, said first distal extremity extending radially beyond said outer radial dimension of said sleeve in a first radial direction, and said second tip axis is oriented to extend radially outward to said second distal extremity, said second distal extremity extending radially beyond said outer radial dimension of said sleeve in a second radial direction, said second radial direction being opposite said first radial direction;
and
in a retracted configuration, said first resilient arm assembly and said second resilient arm assembly are elastically deformed to retract within said outer radial dimension of said sleeve.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/839,167Filed 3 Apr 2020 · us provisional application
Priority: 5 Apr 2019
Granted: 20 Sep 2022
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification10 codes

A61F 2/4611
For insertion or extraction of endoprosthetic joints or of accessories thereof: of spinal prostheses
A61F 2/30749
Accessories: fixation appliances for connecting prostheses to the body
A61F 2/4455
For the spine, e.g. vertebrae or spinal discs: for the fusion of spinal bodies, e.g. intervertebral fusion of adjacent spinal bodies, e.g. fusion…
A61F 2/447
For the fusion of spinal bodies, e.g. intervertebral fusion of adjacent spinal bodies, e.g. fusion cages: substantially parallelepipedal, e.g.…