Serratome vertebral cortical endplate cutter
AssigneeAlphatec Spine, Inc.
InventorsKeith E. Jansen, Andrew R. Sennett
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention relates to spinal fusion implants or grafts and to apparatus for the installation thereof. More specifically, the invention is a serrated cutting or abrading tool designed to be pushed into an intervertebral space and thereby remove and partially penetrate the cortical bone layer that defines the endplates of the respective mutually adjacent vertebral bodies.
Claims20
A cortical endplate bone cutting instrument for insertion into a vacated intervertebral space between adjacent vertebral bodies, the instrument comprising:
- a body having a proximal end and a distal end sized to fit between the adjacent vertebral bodies;
- a plurality of top sharp edged serrations extending from a top surface of the body configured to cut and/or abrade cortical endplate bone of a first adjacent vertebral body;
- a plurality of bottom sharp edged serrations extending from a bottom surface of the body configured to cut and/or abrade cortical endplate bone of a second adjacent vertebral body;
- and
- a blunt front end region at the distal end of the body extending distally from the top surface and the bottom surface forward of the top and bottom serrations;
- wherein the top surface and the bottom surface are parallel.
A method of preparing an implant site using a cortical endplate bone cutting instrument comprising:
- removing a portion of an intervertebral disk creating an intervertebral space between first and second adjacent vertebral bodies;
- inserting a cortical endplate bone cutting instrument into the vacated intervertebral space between the adjacent vertebral bodies, the instrument comprising:
- a body having a proximal end and a distal end sized to fit between the first and second adjacent vertebral bodies;
- a plurality of top sharp edged serrations extending from a top surface of the body configured to cut and/or abrade cortical endplate bone of the first adjacent vertebral body;
- a plurality of bottom sharp edged serrations extending from a bottom surface of the body configured to cut and/or abrade cortical endplate bone of a second adjacent vertebral body;
- a blunt front end region at the distal end of the body extends distally from the top surface and the bottom surface forward of the top and bottom serrations;
- wherein the top surface and the bottom surface are parallel;
- moving the instrument in a linear motion between the adjacent vertebral bodies;
- and
- cutting and/or abrading a sufficient amount of cortical endplate bone of first and second adjacent vertebral bodies with the top and bottom serrations to allow blood to flow into the intervertebral space.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.