Patent ID: 11918484
Assignee: INTEGRITY IMPLANTS INC.
Field: Medical technology (Instruments)
Classification: CPC A | IPC A

Claim 11:
12. A method of fusing an intervertebral space with a stabilized intervertebral scaffolding, the method comprising: obtaining a laterovertically expandable intervertebral scaffolding having a collapsed state, an expanded state, and a plurality of support beams, each beam in the plurality of beams designed to bear a compression load in the cephalocaudal direction in a subject;
creating a point of entry into an intervertebral disc having a nucleus pulposus surrounded by an annulus fibrosis, the point of entry having a lateral dimension ranging from about 5 mm to about 15 mm;
removing the nucleus pulposus from within the intervertebral disc through the point of entry, leaving the intervertebral space for expansion of a scaffolding system within the annulus fibrosis, the intervertebral space having a top vertebral plate and a bottom vertebral plate;
inserting the laterovertically expanding scaffolding in the collapsed state through the point of entry into the intervertebral space;
expanding the scaffolding in the presence of a stabilizer providing an opposing lateral force to a respective support beam during the expansion of the assembly, the opposing lateral force retaining the respective support beam from the lateral movement that exceeds the expanded state in the subject; and
adding a grafting material to the intervertebral space;
wherein the amount of lateral expansion is selected to exceed the lateral dimension of the point of entry.