Patent ID: 8066712

Claim:
A system for delivering a bone fill material to a vertebra, comprising: an in-situ hardenable bone fill material comprising a two-part curable polymer; an elongated introducer configured for insertion into a vertebral body and delivery of bone fill material through a channel of the introducer into the vertebral body; a container of bone fill material coupleable to the introducer; a thermal energy emitter coupled to the introducer and configured to apply thermal energy to the bone fill material flowing through the introducer; a hydraulic pressure source coupled to the container and configured to apply a force on the bone fill material in the container to eject bone fill material from the container into the introducer; a sensor for providing data relating to the bone fill material, the data being a measured parameter of the bone fill material and comprising at least one of temperature, impedance, capacitance, conductivity, pressure, viscosity, a flow parameter, volume, reflectance, an optical parameter, and an acoustical parameter; and a computer controller configured to receive the data from the sensor and to control, based at least in part on the data, 1) the thermal energy applied to the flow of bone fill material and 2) the force from the hydraulic pressure source applied to the bone fill material, the computer controller thereby configured to control both the increase in viscosity of the bone fill material and the flow of bone fill material.