Patent ID: 9326806
Filing Date: 2016-05-03
CPC Classification: A61B

Claim Text:
1. A method for treatment of a vertebral body, comprising: accessing the interior of the vertebral body; creating a separation plane across the vertebral body, the separation plane defining a superior portion of the vertebral body located above the separation plane and an inferior portion of the vertebral body located below the separation plane, the superior portion including a superior endplate and the inferior portion including an inferior endplate; introducing an expandable device having a pre-selected shape into the separation plane after the separation plane is created, the device including: before the introducing, temporarily closing the releasably closable opening with at least one suture; injecting filler material into said device; after the injecting, removing the at least one suture such that the releasably closable opening is exposed, the filling member being withdrawn from the vertebral body after the at least one suture is removed; and after the injecting, repositioning the superior portion relative to the inferior portion of the vertebral body without creating voids within or compacting bone disposed within the interior of the vertebral body, and such that the endplates are substantially closer to being parallel with respect to each other after the repositioning than prior to the repositioning.