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US 8,709,043 B2Granted
Artificial facet joint
AssigneeDePuy Spine, Inc.
InventorsSeungKyu Daniel Kwak, John Riley Hawkins, Amie Borgstrom, William Dunbar
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Various methods and devices for replacing damaged, injured, diseased, or otherwise unhealthy posterior elements, such as the facet joints, the lamina, the posterior ligaments, and/or other features of a patient's spinal column, are provided. In one exemplary embodiment, the methods and devices are effective to mimic the natural function of the spine by allowing flexion, extension, and lateral bending of the spine, while substantially restricting posterior-anterior shear and rotation of the spine.
Claims12
An implantable device for stabilizing the spine, comprising:
- a first member adapted to couple to a first vertebra and having a bearing element rotatably disposed therein with an opening formed therethrough;
- a second member adapted to couple to a second vertebra adjacent to the first vertebra, the second member including an extension rod adapted to extend through the opening formed in the bearing element to control movement between the first and second vertebrae;
- wherein the first member is substantially U-shaped with a central portion and opposed arms extending from the central portion, and the second member is substantially Y-shaped with opposed arms extending from a terminal end of the extension rod, each arm being adapted to be received within a receiving head of a bone engaging element to attach each arm to a vertebra.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.