US 2013/0158669 A1 · Expandable Self-Anchoring Interbody Cage for Orthopedic Applications

Abstract

The present invention is directed to an expandable spinal fusion intervertebral implant that provides for maintaining and creating lordosis in the human spine that can be filled with biologics while in situ to encourage spinal fusion. A threaded rod that traverses an insertion/injection handle can be rotated to operate a screw within the interbody cage that displaces opposing vertical tapped sliding wedges, causing them to converge towards each other. Such contact causes the operation of a horizontal wedge that acts as a lift to expand the interbody cage to one of various dimensions in a preferred range. At its desired expansion, the spinal fusion implant of the present invention is sized to fit within the disc space between two vertebral bodies and fill all voids left while the vertical and horizontal wedges operate within, due to the biologics being contained within the interbody cage.

Claims19

Dependent claims

An expandable spinal fusion interbody cage comprising:

a leading end for insertion into the space between two adjacent vertebrae and a trailing end opposing said leading end;
a top and bottom surface between said leading and trailing ends, generally parallel, each having rectangular openings thereon to promote biologics to permit bone growth;
opposite sides between said top and said bottom, and a maximum length of said cage being greater than the width and maximum height of said cage;
a horizontal slotted wedge member comprising four support risers that contact the bottom surface of said cage when said cage is in an unexpanded state;
two vertical tapped sliding wedges, each having a circular opening thereon that are threaded to accept a screw;
a screw that traverses the body of said cage with one end that penetrates the leading end and whose head is visible from the trailing end.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application

13/766,562Filed 13 Feb 2013

Priority

13 Feb 2012

Published

20 Jun 2013

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

A61F 2/442
For the spine, e.g. vertebrae or spinal discs: intervertebral or spinal discs, e.g. resilient
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.…
A61F 2002/2835
Bones: bone graft implants for filling a bony defect or an endoprosthesis cavity, e.g. by synthetic material or biological material
A61F 2002/30507
Locked by an additional locking mechanism: using a threaded locking member, e.g. a locking screw or a set screw

Expandable Self-Anchoring Interbody Cage for Orthopedic Applications

Life of this patent

Expandable Self-Anchoring Interbody Cage for Orthopedic Applications

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims19