US 6,491,695 B1 · Apparatus and method for aligning vertebrae

Abstract

Apparatus for aligning misaligned vertebrae including a partible screw which can be threadedly coupled to misaligned vertebrae and decoupled from the vertebrae after being aligned. The screw, which is rotatable about an axis, includes axially shiftable screw halves having complementally formed partial screw thread sections which can be aligned in any one of a plurality of axially spaced apart positions to define a helical screw thread. Apparatus is provided for detachably holding the screw halves together in any one of a plurality of axially spaced apart positions with the partial screw threads on each of the halves in alignment including an alignment collar and a locking collar which can be detachably threadedly received on, and locked to, the screw thread sections in locking positions when the screw is being threadedly coupled to and uncoupled from the vertebrae. The alignment collar and locking collar can be individually unthreaded and moved to a remote position removed from the screw threads to allow the screw halves to be axially relatively shifted relative to each other.

Claims73

Dependent claims

Apparatus for aligning first and second vertebrae which are misaligned and have confronting portions with at least one tapped thread adapted to receive a complementally threaded fusion cage, said apparatus comprising:

a partible screw, rotatable in first and second opposite directions about a longitudinal axis, for threadedly coupling to and decoupling from, respectively, said first and second vertebrae;
said partible screw including
first and second relatively axially moveable screw halves having first and second pluralities of axially spaced, helically extending, partial screw thread sections, respectively which can be helically aligned with each other in any selected one of a plurality of different axially shifted locations to form a helical screw thread complementally formed to, and adapted to be received by, said tapped thread when said screw is turned in said first direction of rotation about said axis;
means for relatively axially shifting said first and second screw halves to first positions in which at least a first portion of said first plurality of partial screw thread sections is helically aligned with a first portion of said second plurality of partial screw thread sections when said screw is being rotated in said first direction about its axis and threadedly coupled to said first and second vertebrae,
and for relatively axially shifting said first and second screw halves from said first positions to second positions, in which said first portion of said first plurality of partial screw thread sections is helically aligned with a second axially spaced portion of said second plurality of partial screw thread sections, to shift said first vertebrae into alignment with said second vertebrae;
and
locking means for detachably locking said first and second screw halves together in said second positions to preclude relative axial shifting of said first portion of said first plurality of screw threads section and said second portion of said second plurality of partial screw thread sections as said partible screw is rotated in said second direction and threadedly decoupled from said first and second vertebrae.

4 more elements

A vertebrae alignment tool for repositioning misaligned adjacent vertebrae into alignment comprising:

first and second elongate bodies, each having longitudinally spaced opposite ends, mounted together for relative longitudinal sliding movement;
a partible vertebrae shifting screw, having a longitudinal axis, for threadedly coupling to and decoupling from said adjacent vertebrae as said screw is turned in first and second opposite directions of rotation about said axis including;
first and second relatively longitudinally axially moveable screw halves having first and second pluralities of axially spaced, helically extending screw thread sections, respectively, which can be helically aligned with each other in any selected one of a plurality of different, longitudinally shifted positions to form a longitudinally extending helical screw thread;
said first screw half being mounted on one end of said first elongate body said second screw half being mounted on one end of said second elongate body;
shifting means threadedly coupled to at least one of said first and second elongate bodies
for longitudinally relatively moving said first and second elongate bodies to longitudinally relatively shift said first and second screw halves to first positions in which at least a first portion of said first plurality of screw thread sections is helically aligned with a first portion of said second plurality of screw thread sections as said screw is rotated in said first direction about said axis, and
for relatively longitudinally moving said first and second screw halves to second positions in which said first portion of said first plurality of screw thread sections is helically aligned with a second portion of said second plurality of screw thread sections;
and
locking means detachably mounted on said screw halves to preclude axial shifting of said first portion of said first plurality of screw sections and said second portion of said second plurality of screw thread sections in said second positions when said screw is being oppositely rotated in said second direction to threadedly decouple from said vertebrae.

6 more elements

A vertebrae alignment tool for shifting misaligned adjacent vertebrae into alignment with each other comprising:

first and second elongate bodies, each having longitudinally spaced opposite ends, mounted together for relative longitudinal sliding movement;
a vertebrae shifting partible screw, having a longitudinal axis, for threadedly coupling to and decoupling from said adjacent vertebrae as said screw is turned in first and second opposite directions, respectively, about said axis including
first and second longitudinally relatively axially moveable screw halves having first and second pluralities of axially spaced, helically extending screw thread sections, respectively, which can be helically aligned with each other in any selected one of a plurality of different, longitudinally shifted positions to form a longitudinally extending helical screw thread;
said first screw half being mounted on one end of said first elongate body;
said second screw half being mounted on one end of said second elongate body;
shifting means threadedly coupled to at least one of said first and second elongate bodies
for longitudinally relatively moving said first and second elongate bodies to longitudinally relatively shift said first and second screw halves to first positions in which at least a first portion of said first plurality of screw thread sections is helically aligned with a first portion of said second plurality of screw thread sections as said screw is turned in said first direction of rotation about said axis, and
for relatively longitudinally moving said first and second screw halves to second positions in which said first portion of said first plurality of screw thread sections is helically aligned with a second portion of said second plurality of screw thread sections;
and
alignment nut means detachably threadedly received by said screw when said first and second pluralities of thread sections are in either of said first positions or said second positions but moveable to an inoperative, position when said screw halves are being axially shifted.

7 more elements

An alignment tool for shifting first and second misaligned adjacent vertebrae into alignment comprising:

a partible vertebrae shifting screw, having a longitudinal axis, for threadedly coupling to and decoupling from said adjacent vertebrae as said screw is rotated in first and second opposite directions about said axis;
said partible vertebrae shifting screw including
first and second relatively axially reciprocally moveable screw halves having first and second pluralities of axially spaced, helically extending, partial screw thread sections, respectively, which can be helically aligned with each other in any selected one of a plurality of different axially shifted locations to form a helical screw thread;
means for relatively axially shifting said first and second screw halves to first positions in which at least a first portion of said first plurality of partial screw thread sections is helically aligned with a first portion of said second plurality of partial screw thread sections to follow the same helical path when said screw is being rotated in said one direction and threadedly coupled to said first and second vertebrae,
and for relatively axially shifting said first and second screw halves to second positions in which said first portion of said first plurality of partial screw thread sections is helically aligned with a second axially spaced portion of said second plurality of partial screw thread sections to shift said first vertebrae into alignment with said second vertebrae;
and
an alignment nut detachably threadedly received by said screw when said first and second pluralities of screw thread sections are in either of said first and second positions but detached from screw as screw first and second screw halves are being axially shifted.

4 more elements

Apparatus for aligning first and second misaligned vertebrae which have confronting portions with at least one tapped thread adapted to threadedly receive a complementally threaded fusion cage, said apparatus comprising:

a vertebrae shifting partible screw, having a longitudinal axis for threadedly coupling to and decoupling from said first and second vertebrae when rotated in first and second opposite directions, respectively, about said axis including:
first and second relatively axially reciprocally moveable screw halves having first and second pluralities of axially spaced, helically extending, partial screw thread sections, respectively;
each of said first and second pluralities of axially spaced, helically extending partial screw thread sections including first and second axially spaced thread portions cooperating to form a helical screw thread;
means for relatively axially shifting said first and second screw halves to first positions in which
at least said first thread portion of said first plurality of partial screw thread sections is helically aligned with said first portion of said second plurality of partial screw thread sections to follow in the same helical path as said screw is rotated in said one direction, and
said first and second pluralities of partial screw thread sections in said first positions are each threadedly coupled to only one of said first and second vertebrae,
and for relatively axially shifting said first and second screw halves to second positions in which said first portion of said first plurality of partial screw thread sections is in helical registry with said second axially spaced portion of said second plurality of partial screw thread sections to shift said first vertebrae into alignment with said second vertebrae;
and
alignment means detachably threadedly received by said first and second screw halves in said second positions to maintain said first plurality of partial screw sections and said second portion of said second plurality of partial screw thread sections in helical registry and insure that said first and second pluralities of thread sections follow in the same helical path as said screw is rotated in said second direction and unthreaded from said adjacent vertebrae.

6 more elements

Apparatus for aligning adjacent misaligned vertebrae comprising:

an elongate main tool body having a longitudinal bore therethrough and opposite ends;
an elongate rod, having opposite ends, slidably received in said bore;
a vertebrae repositioning screw, rotatable about a longitudinal axis in first and second opposite directions, having an external helical screw thread for threadedly coupling to and decoupling from said adjacent vertebrae as said screw is rotated in said first and second directions, respectively;
said screw comprising first and second complementally formed abutting screw halves having complementally formed half threads which can be helically aligned with each other in any selected one of a plurality of relatively axially spaced positions in which said half threads are helically aligned to form said screw thread;
one of said screw halves being mounted on an end of said elongate rod and the other of said screw halves being mounted to an end of said elongate tool body;
means for axially displacing said elongate rod relative to said main tool body to axially relatively move said screw halves between coextensive positions and axially displaced positions;
and
locking means detachably threadedly received by said first and second screw halves in either of said coextensive positions or said axially displaced position for selectively axially locking said screw halves together in either of said coextensive positions or said axially displaced positions to preclude relative axial movement of said screw halves as said screw is being threadedly coupled to and decoupled from said vertebrae and for unlocking said screw halves as said one screw half is being axially moved between said coextensive and said axially displaced position.

5 more elements

A vertebrae aligning tool for aligning first and second adjacent misaligned vertebrae comprising:

an axially partible vertebrae shifting tool head, having an external helical screw thread thereon, mounted for rotation in first and second opposite directions about a longitudinal axis to threadedly couple to and decouple from, respectively, confronting portions of said adjacent misaligned vertebrae;
said partible tool head including first and second axially slidably coupled tool head sections having first and second complementally formed partial screw threads, respectively, of the same pitch, which can be disposed in helical registry with each other, in any selected one of a plurality of different, axially spaced positions to form said screw thread;
said first and second tool head sections in at least one rotary position being threadedly coupled to only one of said first and second misaligned vertebrae;
means for axially displacing said tool head sections relative to each other, when said first and second tool head sections are in said one rotary position and threadedly coupled to only one of said first and second misaligned vertebrae, between any selected one of said plurality of axially spaced positions to relatively shift said first and second adjacent misaligned vertebrae into substantial alignment with each other;
and
axial locking means detachably threadedly received by said first and second tool head sections for detachably axially locking said first and second screw halves together in said selected one of said axially spaced positions to selectively preclude relative axial movement of said first and second tool head sections when said tool is being threadedly coupled to and decoupled from said vertebrae but being threadedly moveable to a non-locking axially displaced position when said tool head sections are relatively axially moving between said plurality of axially spaced positions.

3 more elements

In an apparatus for repositioning adjacent misaligned vertebrae which have confronting portions with at least one tapped thread adapted to threadedly receive a complementally threaded fusion cage, said apparatus including a longitudinal, partible vertebrae shifting screw which can be rotated in one direction about an elongate axis to threadedly couple to said tapped thread of said adjacent misaligned vertebrae and in an opposite direction of rotation to threadedly decouple from said vertebrae;

said vertebrae shifting screw including first and second elongate screw thread sections which are longitudinally moveable relative to each other and include first and second pluralities of screw thread sections, respectively, which when said screw is in at least one rotary position, are each in threaded engagement with only one of said misaligned vertebrae when said screw is threadedly coupled to said vertebrae;
means for relatively longitudinally translating said first and second screw sections, when said screw is in said one rotary position, between
first positions in which a first portion of said first plurality of screw thread sections is in registry with a first portion of said second plurality of screw thread sections and
second positions in which said first portion of said first plurality of screw thread sections is in registry with a second portion of said second plurality of screw thread sections to relatively shift said misaligned vertebrae into alignment;
the improvement comprising:
alignment means for detachably threadedly engaging said screw thread sections in said second positions and maintaining said first and second pluralities of screw thread sections in registry as said screw is oppositely rotated in said opposite direction of rotation.

3 more elements

An alignment tool for repositioning misaligned adjacent vertebrae comprising:

an axially partible vertebrae displacing head rotatable in first and second directions about a longitudinal axis for threadedly coupling to and decoupling from, respectively, said adjacent vertebrae,
said head including first and second axially slidably coupled head sections provided with first and second screw thread sections, respectively, which are helically aligned with each other in first axial positions to form a helical screw thread as said head is rotated in one direction about said axis;
means for relatively axially slidably shifting said first and second head sections from said first axial positions to second, axially displaced positions in which portions of said first and second screw thread sections are helically aligned and said misaligned vertebrae are moved into alignment with each other:
and
means threadedly receiving parts of said portions of said first and second screw thread sections when said first and second head sections are in said second, axially displaced positions for maintaining said first and second screw thread sections helically aligned as said head is oppositely rotated in said second direction to threadedly decouple from said vertebrae.

2 more elements

A method of aligning first and second vertebrae which are misaligned with an alignment tool comprising a partible screw having a longitudinal axis and including first and second screw halves provided with first and second pluralities of axially spaced helically extending partial screw thread sections, respectively, that can be helically aligned with each other in any selected one of a plurality of different axially shifted positions to form a helical screw thread on said screw, said method comprising:

axially relatively shifting said first and second screw halves to first positions in which at least a first portion of said first plurality of partial screw thread sections are helically aligned with a first portion of said second plurality of partial screw thread sections;
threadedly coupling said partible screw, with said first and second screw halves in said first positions, to said adjacent vertebrae such that said first screw half is threadedly coupled to only said first vertebrae and said second screw half is threadedly coupled to only said second vertebrae;
axially relatively shifting said screw halves relative to each other to second positions in which said first portion of said first plurality of partial screw thread sections is helically aligned with a second axially spaced portion of said second plurality of screw thread sections to move said first vertebrae into alignment with said second vertebrae;
axially locking said first and second screw halves together in said second positions to preclude relative axial shifting of said first portion of said first plurality of screw thread sections and said second axially spaced portion of said second plurality of screw thread sections;
and
unthreading said partible screw from said first and second vertebrae with said first and second screw halves locked together.

3 more elements

Apparatus for relocating misaligned vertebrae which have confronting portions with at least one tapped thread, adapted to threadedly receive a complementally threaded fusion cage, said apparatus comprising:

a partible alignment screw having a rotational axis and first and second partial screw thread sections provided with first and second pluralities of partial screw threads, respectively, cooperating to define a helical screw thread complementally formed to and adapted to be threadedly received by, said tapped thread when said screw is rotated in one direction of rotation about said axis and decoupled from said tapped thread when said screw is oppositely rotated in a second direction;
said first and second partial screw thread sections being adapted to be threadedly coupled to only one of said vertebrae when said screw is received by said tapped thread;
said first and second partial screw thread sections being relatively axially reciprocally moveable between first position in which a first position of said first screw thread section is in helical alignment with a first portion of said second screw thread section and second axially displaced positions in which said first portion of said first screw thread section is in helical alignment with a second portion of said second screw thread section to relatively shift and reposition said vertebrae;
and
locking means threadedly receiving said first and second partial screw threads when said first and second screw thread sections are in said second positions for locking said first and second screw thread sections in said second positions as said screw is being oppositely rotated in said second direction to prevent axial shifting of said first and second screw threads and damage to said tapped thread.

2 more elements

A method of repositioning misaligned and spaced apart adjacent first and second vertebrae comprising the steps of

tapping a first thread into confronting portions of said misaligned vertebrae;
turning a partible screw having first and second circumferentially spaced apart screw thread portions defining a screw thread complementally formed to said first thread, about its longitudinal axis in a first direction into said thread to threadedly couple said circumferentially spaced first and second screw thread sections of said screw to only said first and second vertebrae, respectively;
axially shifting said circumferentially spaced first and second thread sections relative to each other to axially displaced positions to relatively move said first and second vertebrae into substantial alignment;
threading at least one collar onto said circumferentially spaced first and second thread sections to maintain the relative positions of said first and second thread sections in said axially displaced positions;
and
unturning said partible screw in an opposite direction of rotation from said thread while said one collar is received by circumferentially spaced first and second thread sections.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Apparatus and method for aligning vertebrae

Life of this patent

Apparatus and method for aligning vertebrae

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims73