Articulating expandable intervertebral implant
AssigneeGlobus Medical, Inc.
InventorsAlex Burkhardt, Mark Weiman, Chad Glerum
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A spacer for separating bones of a joint, the spacer includes a frame having a longitudinal axis, and ramped surfaces. An endplate configured to engage a bone of the joint has ramped surfaces mateable with the ramped surfaces of the frame. When the endplate is moved relative to the frame in a direction along the longitudinal axis of the frame, the endplate is moved in a direction away from the frame to increase the height at least one end of the spacer. A second endplate configured to engage a second bone of the joint can be similarly configured.
Claims20
A spacer for separating bones of a joint, the spacer comprising:
- a frame having a longitudinal axis, and having at least one ramped surface;
- a first endplate configured to engage a first bone of the joint, and having at least one ramped surface mateable with the at least one ramped surface of the frame, whereby when the first endplate is moved relative to the frame in a direction along the frame longitudinal axis, at least one end of the first endplate is moved in a direction away from the frame to open the spacer;
- a second endplate configured to engage a second bone of the joint;
- a link moveable with respect to the frame, the link having a projection pivotally engageable with the first endplate to thereby move the first endplate along the frame longitudinal axis when the link is moved with respect to the frame;
- and
- an actuating screw moveable with respect to the frame and connected to the link to cause movement of the link when the actuating screw is moved with respect to the frame.
A method of separating bones of a joint, comprising:
- inserting a spacer between bones of the joint, the spacer comprising:
- a frame having a longitudinal axis, and having at least one ramped surface;
- a first endplate configured to engage a first bone of the joint, and having at least one ramped surface mateable with the at least one ramped surface of the frame, whereby when the first endplate is moved relative to the frame in a direction along the frame longitudinal axis, at least one end of the first endplate is moved in a direction away from the frame to open the spacer;
- a second endplate configured to engage a second bone of the joint;
- a link moveable with respect to the frame, the link having a projection pivotally engageable with the first endplate to thereby move the first endplate along the frame longitudinal axis when the link is moved with respect to the frame;
- and
- an actuating screw moveable with respect to the frame and connected to the link to cause movement of the link when the actuating screw is moved with respect to the frame;
- rotating the actuating screw to cause the link to move and thereby displace the first and second endplate, wherein the at least one ramped surface of the first ramped surface slides along the at least one ramped surface of the frame to cause at least one end of the first endplate to move in a direction away from the frame while the opposite end of the first endplate pivots at the link.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.