Patent ID: 9101484
Filing Date: 2015-08-11
Classification: A61B,A61F

Abstract:
1. A system for distracting two tissue surfaces away from one another within a spine, comprising: first and second elongated biocompatible inserts, each elongated biocompatible insert having a top surface having a first leading edge and a first trailing edge, a bottom surface including a second leading edge and a second trailing edge, first and second side surfaces extending between said top and bottom surfaces, and a beveled surface extending between said first and second leading edges, said beveled surface configured to facilitate successive stacking of said elongated biocompatible inserts to distract said two tissue surfaces in said given direction during consecutive insertion into said spine, each of said inserts having a length dimension defined by the distance between one of said first and second leading edges and the corresponding one of said first and second trailing edges, a width dimension defined by the distance between said first and second side surfaces, and a height dimension defined by the distance between said top and bottom surfaces, at least one of said inserts having a solid cross-section taken along a plane generally parallel to at least one of said top and bottom surfaces, such that said length dimension is greater than said width dimension; wherein each of the first and second elongated biocompatible inserts is configured to be inserted into the spine one at a time such that the elongated biocompatible inserts are consecutively stacked upon one another with the spine, and such that a portion of the bottom surface of the first elongated biocompatible insert is received within a portion of the top surface of the second elongated biocompatible insert to form a structure extending in a given direction within the spine.