Expandable fusion device and method of installation thereof
AssigneeGlobus Medical, Inc.
InventorsChad Glerum, Andrew Iott, Mark Adams
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention provides an expandable fusion device capable of being installed inside an intervertebral disc space to maintain normal disc spacing and restore spinal stability, thereby facilitating an intervertebral fusion. In an exemplary embodiment, the present invention provides an intervertebral implant. The intervertebral implant may be configured to transition from a collapsed configuration having a first height and a first width to an expanded configuration having a second height and a second width.
Claims18
A vertically and laterally expandable intervertebral implant comprising:
- an upper endplate having a first upper endplate and a second upper endplate each having front and rear angled upper endplate guides;
- a lower endplate having a first lower endplate and a second lower endplate each having front and rear angled lower endplate guides;
- an actuator assembly disposed between the upper endplate and the lower endplate and defining a longitudinal axis, the actuator assembly including:
- a front actuator having a plurality of angled front actuator guides in mesh with corresponding upper and lower endplate guides of the upper and lower endplates;
- and
- a rear actuator having a plurality of angled rear actuator guides in mesh with corresponding upper and lower endplate guides of the upper and lower endplates;
- wherein each of the upper and lower endplate guides includes an elongate slot that receives a corresponding endplate guide of the actuator assembly, and
- wherein movement of the front actuator relative to the rear actuator causes the upper and lower endplates to laterally and vertically expand simultaneously.
A vertically and laterally expandable intervertebral implant comprising:
- an upper endplate having a first upper endplate and a second upper endplate each having front and rear angled upper endplate guides;
- a lower endplate having a first lower endplate and a second lower endplate each having front and rear angled lower endplate guides;
- an actuator assembly disposed between the upper endplate and the lower endplate and defining a longitudinal axis, the actuator assembly including:
- a front actuator having a plurality of angled front actuator guides in mesh with corresponding upper and lower endplate guides of the upper and lower endplates;
- and
- a rear actuator having a plurality of angled rear actuator guides in mesh with corresponding upper and lower endplate guides of the upper and lower endplates, each of the front and read actuator guides being angled radially inwardly and towards the longitudinal axis;
- a linear actuator rotatably coupled to the front and rear actuators and adapted to translate the front actuator relative to the rear actuator by rotation to cause the upper and lower endplates to laterally and vertically expand simultaneously,
- wherein:
- the linear actuator includes an externally threaded extension;
- and
- the front actuator includes an inner threaded extension threadably receiving the externally threaded extension of the linear actuator such that rotation of the linear actuator causes the front actuator to move relative to the rear actuator.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.