Claims
- 1. Apparatus to assess spinal movement, comprising:
a device adapted for physical connection to upper or lower vertebral bodies; and one or more handles coupled to the device enabling a user to move one or both of the vertebral bodies to assess relative position, motion, or orientation.
- 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the device is adapted for placement within an intradiscal space between the upper and lower vertebral bodies.
- 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the device is externally expandable within an intradiscal space to reduce shear stress on the upper and lower vertebral bodies during insertion.
- 4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the device is externally expandable using one or more scissor jacks.
- 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the device includes:
a pair of opposing endplates, each bearing against a respective one of the vertebral bodies; and a set of modular articulating components situated between the opposing end plates facilitating a range of motion.
- 6. The apparatus of claim 5, further including a set of trial spacer components indexed to the modular articulating components to determine which set of the modular articulating components to utilize.
- 7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the modular articulating components include a feature to restrict motion in one or more dimensions.
- 8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the device is an artificial disc replacement (ADR).
- 9. The apparatus of claim 1, further including an instrument coupled to the device for measuring one or more aspects of the movement.
- 10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the instrument is coupled to the device between a pair of handles.
- 11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the instrument measures one or more distances associated with the movement.
- 12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the instrument measures the force required for a movement.
- 13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the instrument measures distances or forces associated with spinal flexion.
- 14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the instrument measures distances or forces associated with spinal extension.
- 15. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the instrument measures distances or forces associated with lateral bending.
- 16. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the instrument measures distances or forces associated with spinal rotation.
- 17. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the instrument measures distances or forces associated with spinal retraction.
- 18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the instrument is a torque wrench or torque screwdriver.
- 19. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the device includes a level to determine spinal alignment.
- 20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the device includes a handle with a level to determine spinal alignment.
- 21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the handle is oriented perpendicular to a patent in a prone position to determine rotational alignment.
- 22. The apparatus of claim 1, further including the use of pre-operative or intra-operative CT, MRI, or fluoroscopy to assist with the assessment of the relative motion or position.
- 23. The apparatus of claim 22, further including a guide for cutting slots into a vertebral body to receive a keel.
- 24. The apparatus of claim 22, further including an artificial disc replacement (ADR) with a rotatable keel to adjust for axial rotation.
- 25. An artificial disc replacement (ADR) with a rotatable keel to adjust for axial rotation.
REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/484,935, filed Jul. 3, 2003; 60/519,045, filed Nov. 12, 2003; and 60/530,579, filed Dec. 18, 2003.
[0002] This application is also a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/421,436, filed Apr. 23, 2003, which claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/374,747, filed Apr. 23, 2002. The entire content of each application is incorporated herein by reference.
Provisional Applications (4)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60374747 |
Apr 2002 |
US |
|
60484935 |
Jul 2003 |
US |
|
60519045 |
Nov 2003 |
US |
|
60530579 |
Dec 2003 |
US |
Continuation in Parts (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
10421436 |
Apr 2003 |
US |
Child |
10876070 |
Jun 2004 |
US |