Patent ID: 9681905
Date: 2017-06-20
CPC Classifications: A61B

Claim:
1. An expandable screw comprising: a shaft having a longitudinal axis, the shaft having a proximal portion opposite a distal portion and an expandable region disposed between the proximal portion and distal portion, the shaft having an outer surface including a thread to engage bone, the expandable region configurable between a first state with a first radius measured from the longitudinal axis to the outer surface and a second state having a second radius measured from the longitudinal axis to the outer surface; a head coupled with the shaft at a neck configured to receive a driving instrument to insert and drive the shaft into the bone when the expandable region is in the first state; a center post extending distally from the head and coaxial with and internal to the shaft to provide support to the shaft, the center post having a central lumen configurable for a deployment rod to extend through the center post and couple with the distal portion of the shaft; and a slit generally spiraling along the shaft and extending radially inwardly from the outer surface to the center post so as to define a cut pattern on the shaft that permits at least partial nesting of a first portion of the expandable region within a second portion of the expandable region in the second state.