Anterior cervical plate
AssigneeSpinewelding AG
InventorsJörg Mayer, Andreas Wenger
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An anterior cervical includes a plate portion for stabilizing a human or animal spine by being placed ventrally of the spinal column and affixed to two or more different vertebral bodies, and a plurality of fastening portions adapted to be anchored in the different vertebral bodies. At least one of the fastening portions is rigidly connected to the plate portion and includes a sheath element with a longitudinal opening that is accessible from a proximal side and at least one hole that reaches from the longitudinal opening to an outside. The anterior cervical plate further includes a thermoplastic element that may be inserted in the sheath element and that is capable of being liquefied by, for example, mechanical energy acting on the thermoplastic element.
Claims25
A surgical stabilizer plate, comprising a plate portion for stabilizing a human or animal spine by being affixed to at least one vertebral body, the plate portion comprising a proximal side and a distal side, the distal side being adapted to lie against the at least one vertebral body, the plate portion comprising a plurality of plate openings accessible from the proximal side, and comprising, for each plate opening, a fastening portion, said fastening portion:
- being integral with the plate portion;
- extending from the plate opening to the distal side, at an angle to the plate opening;
- being adapted to be anchored in one of the at least one vertebral body;
- comprising a sheath portion with a longitudinal opening that is accessible from the proximal side and opens into the plate opening, whereby the plate opening forms a mouth of the longitudinal opening;
- and with at least one hole that reaches from the longitudinal opening to an outside;
- wherein the stabilizer plate further comprising, per fastening portion, a thermoplastic element inserted or insertable in the longitudinal opening and capable of being liquefied by energy acting on the thermoplastic element, wherein the hole is positioned so that liquefied thermoplastic material is pressable through the hole into bone tissue of the vertebral body in which the fastening portion is to be anchored.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.