Bioresorbable spinal implant and related methods
AssigneeNuVasive, Inc.
InventorsAlan McLeod, Christopher Reah
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A prosthesis for the replacement of an intervertebral disc of the spine comprises a block of an elastomeric material, which is held under compression by an encapsulating textile fabric. A preferred version of the invention has flanges that are continuations of the encapsulating fabric forming an interdigitation, with the continuation of the upper fabric passing through a hole in the lower fabric and being attached to the lower vertebral body and the continuation of the lower fabric crossing to its fixation site on the upper vertebral body. Optionally, the flanges are resorbable, over time leaving only the implant core and encapsulation fabric in the intervertebral space.
Claims10
A method of performing spine surgery, comprising:
- creating an operative corridor to access a surgical target site within a spine;
- implanting a biocompatible prosthesis, said prosthesis comprising a core element at least partially encapsulated by a non-bioresorbable textile jacket, the jacket comprising a body portion having a pair of opposing vertebral contact surfaces configured to contact a surface of a vertebral body, and at least one textile flange extending from said body portion, at least a portion of said flange having a bioresorbable portion formed from bioresorbable fibers, said at least one flange having an aperture through which an opposing flange is interdigitated during use, said body portion of said prosthesis implanted within said surgical target site;
- attaching said flange to a bone segment adjacent said surgical target site;
- and
- closing said operative corridor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.