Laterally expandable cage
AssigneeSDGI Holdings, Inc.
InventorBret Berry
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A laterally expandable spinal implant includes a central body and two wings that are adapted to be received within an inner chamber formed within the central body. The wings have guide rails that fit into grooves defined in the central body. To ensure that the implant is properly secured, each guide rail has an outer end with a cutting surface that cuts into vertebral end plates when the wings are extended. The two wings are connected together through a central turnbuckle shaft that has geared teeth and threading on both ends that engage threaded cavities in the wings. Through the gear teeth, the turnbuckle shaft is able to be rotated so as to laterally extend the wings from the central member. A locking mechanism locks the turnbuckle shaft to prevent the wings from retracting.
Claims38
A spinal implant, comprising:
- a cage defining an interior cavity;
- an expansion mechanism received in said cavity of said cage;
- a pair of wings operatively coupled to said expansion mechanism, said wings each having opposing vertebrae engaging surfaces that are configured to engage opposing vertebrae;
- and
- wherein said expansion mechanism is operable to laterally move said wings between the vertebrae from a compact configuration in which at least a majority of said wings are received in said cavity of said cage to an expanded configuration in which said wings extend from said cage with said vertebrae engaging surfaces on each of said wings engaging the vertebrae.
A spinal implant, comprising:
- a cage defining an interior cavity;
- an expansion mechanism received in said cavity of said cage;
- a pair of wings operatively coupled to said expansion mechanism;
- wherein said expansion mechanism is operable to laterally move said wings between the vertebrae from a compact configuration in which at least a majority of said wings are received in said cavity of said cage to an expanded configuration in which said wings extend from said cage to engage the vertebrae;
- wherein the vertebrae have apophyseal rings;
- and
- wherein said wings have a generally arcuate shape to coincide with the shape of the apophyseal rings of the vertebrae.
A fusion device for implanting between opposing vertebrae that define a disc space, comprising:
- a central member;
- at least one pair of lateral members slidably coupled to said central member;
- means for extending said lateral members from said central member into the disc space between the vertebrae;
- and
- wherein the opposing vertebrae having apophyseal seal rings, said lateral members being shaped to engage the apophyseal seal rings of both opposing vertebrae when extended.
An apparatus, comprising:
- a spinal implant including
- a central member defining an interior cavity and a pair of openings defined on opposite sides of said central member that open into said interior cavity,
- a pair of wings slidably received in said openings in said central member, and
- a shaft coupled to said wings, said shaft having at least one threaded portion threadedly engaging at least one of said wings.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.