Back to results
US 7,166,121 B2Granted
Systems and methods using expandable bodies to push apart cortical bone surfaces
AssigneeKyphon Inc.
InventorsMark A Reiley, Arie Scholten, Karen D Talmadge
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Systems and methods insert an expandable body in a collapsed configuration into a space defined between cortical bone surfaces. The space can, e.g., comprise a fracture or an intervertebral space. The systems and methods cause expansion of the expandable body within the space, thereby pushing apart the cortical bone surfaces to, e.g., reduce the fracture or push apart adjacent vertebral bodies as part of a therapeutic procedure.
Claims5
A method comprising
- selecting for treatment a bone that includes a fractured exterior cortical bone region defined between facing exterior cortical bone surfaces that have collapsed upon themselves to displace away from a desired anatomic orientation an unfractured exterior cortical bone region remote from the fractured exterior cortical bone region,
- deploying an expandable body having a collapsed condition sized and configured for insertion between the facing exterior cortical bone surfaces of the fractured exterior cortical bone region, and
- enlarging the expandable body into an enlarged condition between the facing exterior cortical bone surfaces of the fractured exterior cortical bone region to lift the collapsed exterior facing cortical bone surfaces in the fractured exterior cortical bone region apart to move the unfractured exterior cortical bone region toward the desired anatomic orientation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.