Hydrogel intervertebral disc nucleus
AssigneePfizer Hospital Products Group, Inc.
InventorsQi-Bin Bao, Paul A. Higham
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Abstract
A prosthetic nucleus for a vertebral disc is made of a hydrogel material. The hydrogel prosthetic nucleus has a shape generally conforming to the natural nucleus pulposus. The hydrogel has a water content of at least 30% and has a compressive strength of 4MNm.sup.-2 or greater. When the hydrogel material is dehydrated, it has a dimension of less than half of that of the hydrated hydrogel nucleus. The prosthetic nucleus may be formed of two or more pieces of hydrogel material which pieces, when combined, have a shape generally conforming to the natural nucleus.
Claims10
A prosthetic nucleus for implanting in the disc space after the removal of the degenerated or damaged nucleus of an intervertebral disc comprising:
- a biologically compatible hydrogel material having when fully hydrated a size and shape generally conforming to a natural nucleus and having a water content of at least 30%, and a compressive strength of 4 MNm.sup.-2 or greater.
A method for forming a prosthetic nucleus comprising the steps of forming a mass of bonded biocompatible hydrogel material having a water content when fully hydrated of at least 30% and a compressive strength of 4 MNm.sup.-2 or greater;
- and
- shaping the mass of hydrogel to a shape generally conforming to a natural human disc nucleus.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.