Artifical lumbar disc
AssigneeNeurocare International, Inc.
InventorToussaint Leclercq
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An artificial lumbar disc made of three components which are inserted individually. Two bean shaped implants are a mirror image of each other and are designed to be inserted on each side of the disc cavity. The third component is designed to fill the disc cavity remaining after the first two components have been inserted. The unique design focuses on restoring the natural function of the disc, reestablishing a preferred disc space, and providing ease of insertion through both a posterior and anterior approach. Moreover, the potential of prosthesis failure is fully addressed and feasible solutions to such an occurrence are proposed.
Claims16
An artificial lumbar disc to be inserted into a disc cavity, comprising:
- a pair of bean shaped implants, each implant comprising a bone contacting surface and an annulus contacting surface and each implant being flexible and having a varying thickness according to the natural contour of the annulus;
- and
- a nucleus comprising a midline inflatable implant which is insertable into the disc cavity to completely fill and lock the components in place.
A modified posterior lumbar interbody method to insert an artificial implant, said method comprising:
- progressively enlarging a disc cavity to its pre-disease height using spinal dilators;
- preserving the physiological lordosis of the lumbar spine;
- inserting two bean shaped, to fit the physiological lordosis of the individual patient and the natural concavity of the individual's vertebral endplates;
- inserting an expandable central implant to fill the disc cavity and insure a tight fit to further decrease the risk of implant migration;
- and
- inflating the central implant to give an artificial disc its final appearance;
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.