Expandable interbody spacer
AssigneeAlphatec Spine, Inc.
InventorWilliam Reimels
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An expandable intervertebral spacer includes a body, a proximal end, and a distal end. The body includes quadrants that form a substantially cylindrical shape in a first configuration and a substantially cuboidal shape in a second configuration. Each quadrant includes a ramp portion with a ramp and a landing and a sliding portion with a sliding side and a foot. The ramp portion of a first quadrant engages the sliding portion of a second quadrant. The proximal end and the distal end couple with the plurality of quadrants and transfer an actuating force to expand the body from the first configuration to the second configuration.
Claims19
An intervertebral spacer for placement between adjacent vertebrae, comprising:
- a body, the body being plastically deformable and of unitary construction, the body having a generally tubular shape bounding an open space, the body including a plurality of slits so as to define a first section having a first edge, a second section having a second edge and a tension member, the body including a length with a longitudinal axis, expandable radially from the longitudinal axis from a first height to a larger second height by plastic deformation of the body, and the first section including a foot, the second section including a landing, the tension member connecting the first section to the second section, the foot and the landing not engaged with each other at the first height and configured to directly engage each other at the second height to form a rigid body, wherein the first edge slides against the second edge when the body is longitudinally compressed so as to radially expand the body.
An expandable intervertebral spacer, comprising:
- a body being plastically deformable and of a unitary construction having a proximal end, a distal end, and a plurality of slits defining a plurality of sections between the proximal end and distal end, wherein the plurality of sections have an edge, the body having a generally tubular shape bounding an open space, the body including a first length, a first width, and a first height in a first configuration and a second length less than the first length, a second width greater than the first width, and a second height greater than the first height in a second configuration;
- a first of the sections including a ramp portion with a ramp and a landing;
- and a second of the sections including a sliding portion with a sliding side and a foot;
- wherein the proximal end and the distal end are configured to receive a compressive force that causes the edge of the plurality of sections to slide against each other so as to radially expand the body member, and wherein the longitudinal compressive force further urges the ramp to slide along the sliding side as the body expands from the first configuration to the second configuration, and wherein the foot does not engage the landing in the first configuration and engages the landing in the second configuration to form a structurally rigid body.
An expandable intervertebral spacer, comprising:
- a body being plastically deformable and of a unitary construction having a proximal end, a distal end, and a plurality slits defining a plurality of sections between the proximal end and distal end, and forming a cylindrical geometry bounding an open space, the body having a first length and a first height corresponding to a radius of the cylindrical geometry in an unexpanded configuration and a cuboidal geometry in an expanded configuration with a second length less than the first length, a second width greater than the radius, and a second height greater than the radius.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.