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US 6,673,075 B2Granted
Porous intervertebral spacer
OwnerAlbert N. Santilliinventor
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OwnerAlbert N. Santilliinventor
Estimating the term…
An intervertebral spacer suitable for use as a spinal implant includes a rigid, porous body made of a biocompatible material. The body is strong enough to accommodate loads imposed by adjacent vertebrae and is porous enough to facilitate tissue ingrowth and bony fusion. The porosity is provided by a plurality of randomly sized, substantially interconnected voids disposed throughout the body. The spacer can be manufactured by a variety of techniques. In one technique, a plurality of polymer pellets are placed in a mold of a desired shape and heated to melting or near-melting temperature. The pellets are fused together to form a porous, rigid structure. In another technique, tortuous strands of a biologically inert material are intermixed with each other and are sintered into a desired shape in a mold. The spacer also can be made of a sintered mixture of strands and pellets of a biologically inert material. The material for the strands and the pellets typically is titanium or a titanium alloy, although other metals and certain polymers such as PEEK can be used. In another techniques, the spacer is made of void-containing foam metal, void-containing powdered metal, or void-containing ceramic. The spacer also can be made from a solid block of a biocompatible material by drilling or machining a plurality of interconnected openings that extend through the block. The spacer can be provided in a variety of shapes to suit the needs of individual patients.
An intervertebral spacer in the form of a rigid, porous body made of a biocompatible polymer material, the body being strong enough to accommodate loads imposed by adjacent vertebrae and porous enough to facilitate tissue ingrowth and bony fusion, the body including a plurality of randomly sized, substantially interconnected voids that provide porosity throughout the body, wherein the polymer is in the form of pellets that are fused together by sintering.
An intervertebral spacer in the form of a rigid, porous body made of a biocompatible material of a combination of elongate, tortuous strands and beads, the body being strong enough to accommodate loads imposed by adjacent vertebrae and porous enough to facilitate tissue ingrowth and bony fusion, the body including a plurality of randomly sized, substantially interconnected voids that provide porosity throughout the body, wherein the elongate, tortuous strands and the beads are intermixed and fused by sintering.
An intervertebral spacer in the form of a rigid, porous body made of a biocompatible foam metal material, the body being strong enough to accommodate loads imposed by adjacent vertebrae and porous enough to facilitate tissue ingrowth and bony fusion, the body including a plurality of randomly sized, substantially interconnected voids that provide porosity throughout the body, wherein the voids in the foam metal are formed by the steps of:
An intervertebral spacer in the form of a rigid, porous body made of a biocompatible powdered metal material, the body being strong enough to accommodate loads imposed by adjacent vertebrae and porous enough to facilitate tissue ingrowth and bony fusion, the body including a plurality of randomly sized, substantially interconnected voids that provide porosity throughout the body, wherein the voids in the powdered metal are formed by the steps of:
An intervertebral spacer in the form of a rigid, porous body made of a biocompatible ceramic material, the body being strong enough to accommodate loads imposed by adjacent vertebrae and porous enough to facilitate tissue ingrowth and bony fusion, the body including a plurality of randomly sized, substantially interconnected voids that provide porosity throughout the body, wherein the voids in the ceramic are formed by the steps of:
A method for making an intervertebral spacer, comprising the steps of:
An intervertebral spacer in the form of a rigid, porous body made of a biocompatible polymer material, the body being strong enough to accommodate loads imposed by adjacent vertebrae and porous enough to facilitate tissue ingrowth and bony fusion, the body including a plurality of randomly sized, substantially interconnected voids that provide porosity throughout the body, the external configuration of the body being defined by:
An intervertebral spacer in the form of a rigid, porous body made of a biocompatible material of spherical beads of different diameters, the body being strong enough to accommodate loads imposed by adjacent vertebrae and porous enough to facilitate tissue ingrowth and bony fusion, the body including a plurality of randomly sized, substantially interconnected voids that provide porosity throughout the body, the external configuration of the body being defined by:
An intervertebral spacer in the form of a rigid, porous body made of a biocompatible material of tortuous strands and beads, the body being strong enough to accommodate loads imposed by adjacent vertebrae and porous enough to facilitate tissue ingrowth and bony fusion, the body including a plurality of randomly sized, substantially interconnected voids that provide porosity throughout the body, the external configuration of the body being defined by:
An intervertebral spacer in the form of a rigid, porous body made of a biocompatible material of tortuous strands and beads, the body being strong enough to accommodate loads imposed by adjacent vertebrae and porous enough to facilitate tissue ingrowth and bony fusion, the body including a plurality of randomly sized, substantially interconnected voids that provide porosity throughout the body, the external configuration of the body being defined by:
An intervertebral spacer in the form of a rigid, porous body made of a biocompatible foam metal material, the body being strong enough to accommodate loads imposed by adjacent vertebrae and porous enough to facilitate tissue ingrowth and bony fusion, the body including a plurality of randomly sized, substantially interconnected voids that provide porosity throughout the body, the external configuration of the body being defined by:
An intervertebral spacer in the form of a rigid, porous body made of a biocompatible powdered metal material, the body being strong enough to accommodate loads imposed by adjacent vertebrae and porous enough to facilitate tissue ingrowth and bony fusion, the body including a plurality of randomly sized, substantially interconnected voids that provide porosity throughout the body, the external configuration of the body being defined by:
An intervertebral spacer in the form of a rigid, porous body made of a biocompatible ceramic material, the body being strong enough to accommodate loads imposed by adjacent vertebrae and porous enough to facilitate tissue ingrowth and bony fusion, the body including a plurality of randomly sized, substantially interconnected voids that provide porosity throughout the body, the external configuration of the body being defined by:
An intervertebral spacer in the form of a rigid, porous body made of a biocompatible material selected from the group consisting of foam metal and powdered metal, the body being strong enough to accommodate loads imposed by adjacent vertebrae and porous enough to facilitate tissue ingrowth and bony fusion, the body including a plurality of randomly sized, substantially interconnected voids that provide porosity throughout the body, the external configuration of the body being defined by:
An intervertebral spacer in the form of a rigid, porous body made of a biocompatible ceramic material, the body being strong enough to accommodate loads imposed by adjacent vertebrae and porous enough to facilitate tissue ingrowth and bony fusion, the body including a plurality of randomly sized, substantially interconnected voids that provide porosity throughout the body, the external configuration of the body being defined by:
An intervertebral spacer in the form of a rigid, porous body made of a biocompatible polymer material, the body being strong enough to accommodate loads imposed by adjacent vertebrae and porous enough to facilitate tissue ingrowth and bony fusion, the body including a plurality of randomly sized, substantially interconnected voids that provide porosity throughout the body, wherein the polymer is in the form of a block of solid material in which the voids are formed by a machining operation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.