Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US8118838?dq=7,444,563
Timestamp: 2017-08-20 13:56:28
Document Index: 711396634

Matched Legal Cases: ['Application No. 60', 'Application No. 60', 'Application No. 60', 'Application No. 60', 'Application No. 60', 'Application No. 60']

Patent US8118838 - Inter-cervical facet implant with multiple direction articulation joint and ... - Google Patents
Systems and method in accordance with the embodiments of the present invention can include an implant for positioning within a cervical facet joint for distracting the cervical spine, thereby increasing the area of the canals and openings through which the spinal cord and nerves must pass, and decreasing...http://www.google.com/patents/US8118838?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US8118838 - Inter-cervical facet implant with multiple direction articulation joint and method for implanting
Publication number US8118838 B2
Application number US 11/447,413
Also published as US20070123863
Publication number 11447413, 447413, US 8118838 B2, US 8118838B2, US-B2-8118838, US8118838 B2, US8118838B2
Patent Citations (135), Non-Patent Citations (27), Referenced by (26), Classifications (66), Legal Events (8)
US 8118838 B2
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/687,765, entitled “Inter-Cervical Facet Implant With Multiple Direction Articulation Joint And Method For Implanting,” filed Jun. 6, 2005, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/635,435, entitled “Inter-Cervical Facet Implant and Method,” filed Dec. 13, 2004;
U.S. application Ser. No. 11/053,399, entitled “Inter-Cervical Facet Implant and Method,” filed Feb. 8, 2005;
U.S. application Ser. No. 11/053,624, entitled “Inter-Cervical Facet Implant and Method,” filed Feb. 8, 2005;
U.S. application Ser. No. 11/053,735, entitled “Inter-Cervical Facet Implant and Method,” filed Feb. 8, 2005;
U.S. application Ser. No. 11/093,557, entitled “Inter-Cervical Facet Implant with Locking Screw and Method,” filed Mar. 30, 2005;
U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/679,363, entitled “Inter-Cervical Facet Implant with Implantation Tool,” filed May 10, 2005;
U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/679,361, entitled “Inter-Cervical Facet Implant with Implantation Tool,” filed May 10, 2005;
U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/679,377, entitled “Inter-Cervical Facet Implant with Implantation Tool,” filed May 10, 2005;
U.S. application Ser. No. 11/429,905, entitled “Inter-Cervical Facet Implant with Implantation Tool,” filed May 8, 2006;
U.S. application Ser. No. 11/429,726, entitled “Inter-Cervical Facet Implant with Implantation Tool,” filed May 8, 2006;
U.S. application Ser. No. 11/429,733, entitled “Inter-Cervical Facet Implant with Implantation Tool,” filed May 8, 2006;
International Patent Application No. PCT/US2005/044979, entitled “Inter-Facet Implant,” filed Dec. 13, 2005;
U.S. application Ser. No. 11/053,346, entitled “Inter-Cervical Facet Implant and Method,” filed Feb. 8, 2005;
U.S. application Ser. No. 11/093,689, entitled “Inter-Cervical Facet Implant and Method for Preserving the Tissues Surrounding the Facet Joint,” filed Mar. 30, 2005;
U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/668,053, entitled “Inter-Cervical Facet Implant Distraction Tool,” filed Apr. 4, 2005; and
U.S. application Ser. No. 11/397,220, entitled “Inter-Cervical Facet Implant Distraction Tool, filed Apr. 4, 2005.
FIG. 12 shows yet another embodiment 900 of an implant of the present invention. In this embodiment 900, the joint inserts or inter-facet spacers 910 of two implants 900 are positioned in a cervical facet joint 901. As described above, the joint inserts or inter-facet spacers 910 can be wedge-shaped as needed to restore anatomical curvature of the cervical spine and to distract, or the joint inserts or inter-facet spacers 910 can be of substantially uniform thickness. The implants 900 each comprise a joint insert or inter-facet spacers 910 with an outer surface 970 that interacts with the bone of the cervical facet joint 901. On the upper implant 900, the surface 970 that interacts with the bone is the upper surface 970 and on the lower implant 900, the surface 970 that interacts with the bone is the lower surface 970. Each surface 970 can comprise a bone ingrowth surface 980 to create a porous surface and thereby promote bone ingrowth and fixation. One such treatment can be with plasma spray titanium, and another, with a coating of sintered beads. Alternatively, the implant 900 can have casted porous surfaces 970, where the porous surface is integral to the implant 900. As a further alternative, the surfaces 970 can be roughened in order to promote bone ingrowth into these defined surfaces of the implants 900. In other embodiments, the surfaces 970 can be coated with materials that promote bone growth such as for example bone morphogenic protein (“BMP”), or structural materials such as hyaluronic acid (“HA”), or other substances which promote growth of bone on other external surfaces 970 of the implant 900. These measures facilitate fixation of the implants 900 in the facet joint, but do not result in fusion of the joint, thereby retaining facet joint mobility, while also accomplishing distraction of the joint.
The first and second natural or artificial facet joint spacers or inter-facet joint spacers 2010 are bridged together by a collar 2015. The collar 2015 passes between the spinous processes of the adjacent cervical vertebrae. As can be seen in FIG. 26B, the implant can preferably be “V” shaped or “boomerang” shaped. The entire implant 2000 or the collar 2015 of the implant can be made of a flexible material such as titanium, so that it is possible to bend the collar 2015 so that it conforms preferably to the shape of the lateral mass or the lamina of the cervical vertebrae of the patient and thereby holds the implant in place with the natural or artificial facet joint spacers or inter-facet joint spacers 2010 inserted in the cervical facet joints. Bores 2029 are preferably provided through implant 2000 adjacent to the natural or artificial facet joint spacer or inter-facet joint spacer 2010 respectively. These bores 2029 can receive bone screws to position the implant 2000 against the lateral mass or the lamina as shown in FIGS. 27A, 27B. The description of the embodiment 2100, in FIGS. 28A, 28B provide further details concerning the method of affixing the implant 2000 to the vertebrae. The implant 2100 also can be made of PEEK or other materials as described herein. Embodiment 2000 (the “boomerang” shape depicted in FIG. 27B) further can have a locking plate as, for example, the locking plate 1824 in FIG. 22A. The locking plate for embodiment 2000 (not shown) can have the same features as locking plate 1824, that is: (1) a probe 1826 that interacts with the bone screws to prevent the bone screws from backing out of the bone, the likely consequence of which would be displacement of the implant 2000; and (2) a keel 1828 with a chisel end to embed in the bone and thus to prevent rotational displacement of the implant. However, given the collar 2015 configuration of embodiment 2000, a chisel may not serve the same purpose as with the embodiments set forth above, which lack a collar stabilized by two bone screws. Therefore, a locking plate on embodiment 2000 can be provided without a keel.
Implant 2400, like implant 2300 and other implants disclosed above, has a natural or artificial facet joint spacer or inter-facet joint spacer 2410, flexibly connected, preferably by a hinge 2422, to a lateral mass plate 2420. As can be seen in FIG. 32, the implant 2400 including the natural or artificial facet joint spacer or inter-facet joint spacer 2410 and the hinge 2422 is substantially “P” shaped. As explained below, its “P” shape assists in the insertion of the implant 2400 into the facet joint with most of the facet capsule and facet capsule ligament and other soft tissue associated with the facet joint still left intact. The natural or artificial facet joint spacer or inter-facet joint spacer, as above for implant 2300 and the other implants disclosed above, can have a superior surface 2413 of the natural or artificial facet joint spacer or inter-facet joint spacer 2410 that is convex, and an inferior surface 2415 that is concave, or any appropriate shaping to approximate the natural shape of the cervical facet joint that is to receive the implant 2400. The thickness of the natural or artificial facet joint spacer or inter-facet joint spacer 2410 can be uniform, or varied. The natural or artificial facet joint spacer or inter-facet joint spacer 2410 also can be made of a flexible, biocompatible material, such as PEEK, to maintain joint mobility and flexibility. The hinge 2422 can have smooth, rounded edges, for distribution of load stress, as disclosed above. Other features and advantages of the other embodiments can be, if desired, incorporated into the design of the embodiment of FIG. 32. For example, the natural or artificial facet joint spacer or inter-facet joint spacer 2410 further can have a tapered or thinned edge 2412 so that the edge 2412 facilitates insertion of the natural or artificial facet joint spacer or inter-facet joint spacer 2410 into a cervical facet joint. The edge 2412 can be curved. In this embodiment 2400, however, the thinned edge 2412 of the natural or artificial facet joint spacer or inter-facet joint spacer 2410 preferably is not at the distal end of the natural or artificial facet joint spacer or inter-facet joint spacer 2410 as is the thinned edge 2312 of the natural or artificial facet joint spacer or inter-facet joint spacer 2310; rather, the thinned edge 2412 preferably is positioned laterally, toward the hinge 2422 of the implant 2400. The thinned edge 2412 coincides substantially with a lateral curvature 2440 of the natural or artificial facet joint spacer or inter-facet joint spacer 2410, which is pronounced relative to the curvature on the medial side of the implant 2400, i.e., a “P” shape. In other words, the curved part of the head of the “P” 2440 corresponds to the thinned edge 2412, and serves as the leading edge of the implant 2400 to begin insertion of the natural or artificial facet joint spacer or inter-facet joint spacer 2410 into a cervical facet joint, preferably through an incision in the soft tissue of the facet joint. The “P” shape narrows at isthmus 2417 where the natural or artificial facet joint spacer or inter-facet joint spacer 2410 that is joined by the hinge 2422 with the lateral mass plate 2420. The smooth or rounded edges or fillets serve to distribute stresses on the implant 2400. The above described “P” shape of implant 2400 allows the implant 2400 to be pivoted into place into a facet joint as described below. The thinned edge 2412 and leading lateral curvature 2440 of the natural or artificial facet joint spacer or inter-facet joint spacer 2410 are adapted to facilitate urging implant 2400 into the cervical facet joint, through the incision in the joint capsule. The implant 2400 then is pivoted into position so that the lateral mass plate 2420 can be bent downward, relative to the natural or artificial facet joint spacer or inter-facet joint spacer 2410, to align with and lie adjacent to the lateral mass and/or the lamina. The lateral mass plate 2420 is then fastened to the bone. The lateral mass plate 2420 of implant 2400, like the lateral mass plate for implant 2300, is flexibly connected, preferably by the smooth-edged hinge 2422, to the natural or artificial facet joint spacer or inter-facet joint spacer 2410 at the narrow lower part of the artificial facet joint. The lateral mass plate 2420 is made of a biocompatible flexible material, preferably titanium or any other biocompatible flexible material such as PEEK that will support the use of bone screws and other hardware, as described below. As with the facet joint spacer, the lateral mass plate of any of these embodiments can be made of a natural animal bone.
As will be appreciated, other suitable similarly biocompatible thermoplastic or thermoplastic polycondensate materials that resist fatigue, have good memory, are flexible, and/or deflectable, have very low moisture absorption, and good wear and/or abrasion resistance, can be used without departing from the scope of the invention. As mentioned, the implant can be comprised of polyetherketoneketone (PEKK). Other material that can be used include polyetherketone (PEK), polyetherketoneetherketoneketone (PEKEKK), polyetheretherketoneketone (PEEKK), and generally a polyaryletheretherketone. Further, other polyketones can be used as well as other thermoplastics. Reference to appropriate polymers that can be used in the implant can be made to the following documents, all of which are incorporated herein by reference. These documents include: PCT Publication WO 02/02158 A1, dated Jan. 10, 2002, entitled “Bio-Compatible Polymeric Materials;” PCT Publication WO 02/00275 A1, dated Jan. 3, 2002, entitled “Bio-Compatible Polymeric Materials;” and, PCT Publication WO 02/00270 A1, dated Jan. 3, 2002, entitled “Bio-Compatible Polymeric Materials.” Other materials such as Bionate®, polycarbonate urethane, available from the Polymer Technology Group, Berkeley, Calif., may also be appropriate because of the good oxidative stability, biocompatibility, mechanical strength and abrasion resistance. Other thermoplastic materials and other high molecular weight polymers can be used. Further, the embodiments hereof can be made at least in part from a natural animal bone material.
JP10179622A Title not available
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Cooperative Classification A61B2090/061, A61F2002/30079, A61F2002/3013, A61F2250/0084, A61F2/4684, A61F2002/4661, A61F2002/30383, A61F2230/0054, A61F2002/4627, A61F2002/30538, A61F2/4455, A61F2002/30841, A61F2002/30517, A61F2310/00976, A61F2250/0006, A61F2/30771, A61B17/7046, A61F2230/001, A61B17/7064, A61B17/562, A61F2220/0075, A61B17/7022, A61F2002/30769, A61F2310/00796, A61B17/025, A61B2017/0256, A61F2/4611, A61F2002/30578, A61F2310/00011, A61F2002/30308, A61F2230/0063, A61F2210/009, A61F2002/30528, A61F2002/30092, A61B17/7028, A61B2017/8655, A61F2002/30601, A61F2220/0033, A61F2210/0014, A61B17/7071, A61F2/28, A61B17/7059, A61F2002/30471, A61F2002/30566, A61F2002/30563, A61F2002/30878, A61F2/4405, A61F2002/30462, A61F2002/30639, A61F2002/30378, A61F2002/30708, A61F2220/0025, A61F2220/0091, A61B17/8042, A61B17/8635, A61F2002/30176, A61F2310/00359
European Classification A61B17/70K, A61B17/80D4, A61F2/44A, A61F2/46T, A61F2/44F, A61B17/02J, A61F2/46B7
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