Growing spinal rod system
AssigneeK2M, Inc.
InventorsGregory Mundis, Kevin R. Strauss, Larry McClintock
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A growing spinal rod system is configured to grow in response to the growth of a patient. The growing spinal rod system includes a housing, a spacer, and a sliding spinal rod. The housing includes a stepped passage therethrough. The spacer is disposed within the stepped passage and defines a through hole. The spacer includes a plurality of ribs biased inwards and into the through hole. The sliding spinal rod is slidably inserted through the through hole of the spacer. The sliding spinal rod moves the plurality of ribs outwards. The plurality of ribs permits the sliding spinal rod to extend from the housing and inhibit the sliding spinal rod from retracting into the housing.
Claims14
A growing spinal rod system comprising:
- a housing defining a longitudinal axis and a stepped passage, the stepped passage disposed about the longitudinal axis and having a first end and a second end, a diameter of the first end being less than a diameter of the second end;
- a first spacer disposed within the stepped passage of the housing about the longitudinal axis, the first spacer including a ring defining a through hole coaxial with the longitudinal axis and a plurality of ribs extending from the ring towards the first end of the stepped passage, the plurality of ribs biased radially inwards, the first spacer includes a plurality of mating protrusions extending from the ring towards the second end of the stepped passage, the plurality of ribs of the first spacer define mating slots between adjacent ribs, each mating slot sized and configured to receive a respective mating protrusion of a second spacer;
- a first spinal rod slidably inserted through the through hole of the first spacer and extending from the housing through the first end of the stepped passage, the first spinal rod moving the plurality of ribs outwards when the first spinal rod is inserted through the through hole of the first spacer, the plurality of ribs permitting the first spinal rod to extend from the housing through the first end of the stepped passage and inhibiting the first spinal rod from retracting into the housing through the first end of the stepped passage;
- and
- a second spinal rod including an end slidably received through the second end of the stepped passage.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.