Joint fusing system
OwnerA. Clint Folsominventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A surgical reamer for cutting an opening in a facet joint for placement of a dowel between the sides of the facet joint to immobilize the joint and create a fusion. The reamer is used with a set of surgical instruments to prepare facet joints for insertion of dowels. The reamer creates a bone shelf above the opening for the dowel to prevent migration of the dowel. The reamer is configured with a flat profile in one plane to allow insertion into the facet joint and the profile of the dowel in the perpendicular plane to create a shape corresponding to the dowel when rotated. The neck of the reamer is smaller in diameter at the coronal end to allow creation of a bone shelf in the facet above the opening for the dowel. The bone shelf resists migration of the dowel out of the prepared opening in the facet.
Claims18
A method for fusing a facet joint formed by a first protrusion of bone extending from a first vertebra and a second protrusion of bone extending from a second vertebra, the method comprising,
- forming between the first protrusion and the second protrusion within the facet joint a socket having a sidewall and a shelf at each end of the sidewall extending radially inward, the socket being formed by removing a portion of a joint material, the joint material being selected from the group consisting of cartilage, bone and combinations thereof, and
- placing a dowel between the shelves thereby immobilizing the facet joint,
- wherein the socket does not extend into a vertebral body.
A method for fusing a facet joint formed by a first protrusion of bone extending from a first vertebra and a second protrusion of bone extending from a second vertebra, the method comprising, providing a cutter head having a lower radially extending cutting edge, an upper radially extending cutting edge, a first cutting edge extending axially to a cutter head axis, a second cutting edge extending axially to the cutter head axis, a first length extending between the first and the second cutting edges and a second length extending between the upper and the lower cutting edges, inserting the cutter head between the first protrusion and the second protrusion and into the facet joint without substantially expanding the facet joint to accommodate the cutter head, rotating the cutter head, engaging the lower, the upper, the first and the second cutting edges with a joint material selected from the group consisting of cartilage, bone and combinations thereof, cutting away a portion of the joint material without engaging the cutter head with a vertebral body, forming a socket sidewall by cutting away the joint material with the first and second cutting edges, forming an upper socket shelf by cutting away the joint material with the upper cutting edge and forming a lower socket shelf by cutting away the joint material with the lower cutting edge, and positioning the dowel between the upper socket shelf and the lower socket shelf.
A method for fusing a facet joint formed by a first protrusion of bone extending from a first vertebra and a second protrusion of bone extending from a second vertebra, the method comprising,
- removing from between the first protrusion and the second protrusion a portion of a joint material from the facet joint thereby forming between the first protrusion and the second protrusion and within the facet joint a socket having a sidewall, a bottom wall extending radially inward from a bottom end of the sidewall, and an top wall extending radially inward from a top end of the sidewall, the top wall forming an overhang, and
- inserting the dowel between the bottom wall and the overhang and thereby immobilizing the facet joint,
- wherein the socket does not extend into a vertebral body.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.