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US 2004/0172023 A1Published application
Polyaxial connection device and method
OwnerStephen Ritlandinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A surgical implant assembly, and components thereof, are disclosed. Such assemblies include a connector device and an anchoring shaft. The assemblies are useful for insertion into bone and connecting a foreign object to bone via a polyaxial coupling mechanism.
Claims9
An attachment device adapted for use with a tension link, the tension link including a tension link head and shaft, the device comprising:
- a shank having first and second ends,
- said first end having a securing mechanism, and
- said second end comprising a first expansion slot, a hollow core and a central aperture, wherein said second end is deformable to accommodate the insertion of the tension link head through the central aperture and into said hollow core, and wherein the tension link head is retained within said hollow core after insertion therein.
A method of installing a surgical implant assembly, comprising the steps of:
- (a) securing an attachment device to human bone, said attachment device having a shank with first and second ends, said second end having a hollow core, a central aperture, and an expansion slot through said second end to said hollow core;
- (b) inserting a tension link including a proximal end having a tension link head and a distal end having threads, into said attachment device by expanding said second end of said attachment device and placing said tension link head within said hollow core such that said distal end of said tension link extends through said central aperture;
- (c) seating a connector onto at least a portion of said second end of said attachment device, wherein said distal end of said tension link extends through a tension link cavity in said connector;
- (d) inserting an implant component through an aperture in said connector;
- and
- (e) securing said connector to said attachment device, and said implant component to said connector by threading and tightening a link nut onto said distal end of said tension link.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.