Minimally invasive method and applications for injectible materials

The catheter as defined in claim I wherein the internal cross-sectional area of the hollow stem is in the range of 1 mm2 to 15 mm2 while the cross-sectional area of each port is in the range 0.01 mm2 to 3 mm2.

A method of injecting a fluid having a viscosity of between 1 Pa.S and 10,000 Pa.S, into a site of a body lesion, including providing an elongated tube having a closed distal end and a plurality of ports in a fenestration zone on the tube wall wherein the fluid is delivered under pressure into the tube from the proximal end thereof to fill the tube while restricting the fluid from exiting through the ports as a function of the relative viscosity of the fluid;

• continuing to apply pressure on the fluid once the tube is filled to simultaneously overcome the resistance at the ports allowing the fluid to exit the ports in an uniform manner into the body site.

The method as defined in claim 14 wherein the cannula engages the bone in order to anchor the cannula to the bone and to resist to the reactive forces of the probe being driven in the bone.

A bone screw comprising a head connectable to a cement delivery device, and a hollow stem extending from the head and in fluid communication therewith, the hollow stem being defined by a tubular wall including threads on an exterior surface thereof, the tubular wall including lateral ports defined there through along at least a majority of a length of the hollow stem.

An orthopedic tube for delivering medical cement into a bone cavity comprising an elongated hollow stem wall, having an external diameter sufficient to be inserted into an injection conduit formed in a bone and an internal diameter sufficiently large to permit a path of least resistance to the cement flow, terminating in a closed distal end;

• at least a fenestration zone defined on the stem wall spaced from the distal end;
• a pattern of ports distributed throughout the fenestration zone;
• the distribution of the ports in the fenestration zone relative to the internal diameter of the hollow stem wall such that the cement will fill up the hollow stem first until sufficient pressure is built up to seep the cement through the ports in a uniform manner.

A method of injecting medical cement into a bone including the steps of forming an injection conduit in the bone;

• inserting an orthopedic tube in the conduit with the tube having a fenestration zone made up of a pattern of ports distributed throughout the fenestration zone;
• filling the tube with cement applying pressure on the cement to cause the cement to be injected into the bone through the ports in a uniform manner.