Patent ID: 8153600
Filing Date: 2012-04-10
Classification: A61K

Abstract:
1. A method of improving the resistance to deformity of a spine located within a living human body, the spine being subject to ongoing deforming forces, consisting essentially of the step of contacting at least a portion of living collagenous tissue within the annulus fibrosus or cartilaginous endplates, or both, of an intervertebral disc of the spine while the disc is in said living human body with an amount of a crosslinking reagent effective to improve resistance of the spine to increasing deformity from mechanical loading, the collagenous tissue having naturally occurring endogenous collagen crosslinks at the time of said contacting whereby to increase collagen crosslinks in the living collagenous tissue wherein the spine has a pre-existing deformity including one or more of (a) scoliosis, (b) listhesis, or (c) kyphosis or wherein the spine is subjected to ongoing deforming forces as a result of one or more of (a) having suffered vertebral compression fractures, (b) the installation of spinal instrumentation, (c) surgical bone removal with no accompanying spinal instrumentation, or (d) surgical bone removal with accompanying spinal instrumentation.