Spinal Implant
AssigneeBlackstone Medical, Inc.
InventorMarc Richelsoph
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A screw and rod fixation assembly includes a body member including a screw seat for seating a screw head therein and a rod seat for seating a rod therein. An adjustable locking ring applies a locking force against the screw head seated in the screw seat and a locking cap adjustably applies a locking force against a rod seated in the rod seat. The adjustable screw locking ring and locking cap function independent of each other. A method of fixing the rod to the screw includes the steps of inserting a screw head into a screw seat in one end of a body member and inserting a rod into a rod seat in a second end of a body member and selectively and independently adjusting a locking force on both the screw head and the rod within the screw seat and rod seat, respectively.
Claims25
A screw and rod fixation assembly comprising:
- a body member including a screw seat for seating a screw head therein and a rod seat for seating a rod therein;
- adjustable rod locking means for adjustably applying a locking force against a rod seated in said rod seat;
- and
- adjustable screw locking means for adjustably applying a locking force to a screw head seated in said screw seat, said adjustable screw locking means being functionally independent of said adjustable rod locking means.
A screw and rod fixation member comprising a body portion including a first end having a screw seat for seating a screw head therein and a second end including a rod seat for seating a rod therein, said first end including a pocket therein having outwardly flexible walls for receiving a screw head therein, thereby defining said screw seat and a said second end including a base portion and two spaced arms extending therefrom defining said rod seat, said arms including a smooth outer surface and fixing means for engagement with a rod locking member.
A fixation screw comprising a threaded portion for engagement with base and a head pocket and a neck portion therebetween, said screw head including multiple engagement surfaces for contacting multiple areas of a spherical screw seat surface.
A method of fixing a rod to a screw by:
- inserting a screw head into a screw seat in one end of a body member;
- inserting a rod into a rod seat in a second end of the body member;
- and
- selectively and independently adjusting a locking force on both the screw head and rod within the screw seat and rod seat, respectively.
A method of fixing a rod to a screw head by seating a screw head having multiple contact points in a screw seat of a body portion causing the screw head to interfere with and contact multiple portions of the spherical seat creating sufficient friction to lock the screw head in a desired position during rod insertion while allowing the body portion to rotate relative to the screw head.
A fixation screw assembly comprising a screw including a head portion for engagement with a seat portion within a body member, said head portion having a larger dimension than said seat portion such that said screw head portion creates interference with the body seat portion when seated therein.
An implant comprising a body portion having a U shaped rod receiving slot, said U shaped slot being smaller in width than the width of a rod seated therein and having a seated condition when the rod is seated within the U shaped channel such that the rod forces arms of the U shaped slot radially outwardly creating a taper, said taper at an open end of the U shaped slot being larger in diameter and tapering to a smaller diameter at a base of said U shaped slot.
A method of retaining a rod in a U shaped slot of a body member of a rod fixation assembly by inserting a rod into a rod seat that is smaller in diameter than the rod while forcing the arms of the rod seat radially outwardly to form an outer taper on the outside surface of the rod seat, and disposing a rod locking cap over the spread arms of the rod seat, the rod locking cap forcing the arms radially inwardly and forcing the arms of the rod seat around the rod.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.