Patent ID: 7547309
Filing Date: 2009-06-16
Classification: A61B,A61F

Abstract:
1. An insertion instrument for inserting an intervertebral implant of the type having an upper part and a lower part with facing surfaces which face each other, comprising: an upper arm and a lower arm disposed adjacent each other and pivotally supported relative to one another at respective held ends thereof, each upper and lower arm having a free end for engaging with an associated one of the upper and lower parts of the implant; and a distractor which engages the arms, moves along the arms, and separates the free ends of the upper and lower arms and hence the upper and lower parts from each other, the distractor including wherein the lower arm comprises a pair of elongated arms disposed substantially parallel to each other, and the distractor is positioned for guided movement along the elongated arms and the upper arm; wherein the body comprises a groove shaped wedge portion shaped to slidably engage the upper arm as the wedge portion approaches the implant; and wherein the elongated arms form between them a receiving chamber, the body of the distractor rests on the elongated arms and has a protrusion that extends down between the elongated arms into the receiving chamber, and the body further includes a resilient element which engages the upper arm when the body is adjacent the held ends of the upper and elongated arms to maintain the body resting on the elongated arms as the body is advanced toward the implant.