Patent ID: 9655649
Date: 2017-05-23
CPC Classifications: A61B

Claim:
1. A vertebral fusion system for connecting at least two vertebrae in the spine of a subject, comprising: at least two fasteners, each of said fasteners being adapted to be attached to a vertebra; a rod comprising a material having shape memory for connecting between said at least two fasteners, said material having a transition range of temperatures below body temperature, the rigidity of said material below said transition range of temperatures being substantially less than that above said transition range of temperatures, said rod having a shape above said transition range of temperatures, preplanned to match a path between said at least two fasteners; and a curved insertion tube with its distal end directed at the path between said at least two fasteners, for delivery of said connecting rod subcutaneously through an incision made in the skin of the subject, said curved insertion tube having a temperature below said transition range of temperatures, and a shape different from the shape of said connecting rod above said transition range of temperatures.