Bioactive fusion device
AssigneeThe University of Toledo
InventorsVijay K. Goel, Anand K. Agarwal
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Abstract
In a first broad aspect, there is provided herein a bioactive device and system for fusion between two bones, two parts of a bony joint, or a bony defect, such as of the spine. The fusion device includes a screw having a head and a threaded shaft. The fusion device also includes a bone dowel having an internal bore of which at least a distal portion is threaded to engage the threads of the screw shaft. The bone dowel is made of a bone-like, biocompatible, or allograft material to provide a layer of bone-like, biocompatible, or allograft material between the screw and the spinal bone. The device is generally coaxial and is further described in the drawings and description herein.
Claims13
A fusion device comprising:
- a screw having a head and a shaft, wherein the screw is formed from a solid body of material having an external helical thread or other similar structure provided thereon;
- and
- a hollow dowel disposed about the shaft of the screw, wherein the dowel is composed of a material selected from the group consisting of a bone-like material, a biocompatible material, a biocompatible polymer, an allograft material, and combinations thereof;
- wherein the shaft has an externally threaded portion, the dowel has a proximal end located adjacent to the head of the screw and a distal end, and the distal end of the dowel has an internally threaded portion that cooperates with the externally threaded portion of the shaft;
- wherein the dowel has a flange provided between the proximal end and the distal end;
- and
- wherein the flange is radially outwardly moveable from a relaxed orientation to a compressed orientation in response to rotation of the screw relative to the flange, wherein the compressed orientation flattens the flange.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.