Patent Grant
7503933
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to interbody spinal fusion implants, and in particular to spinal fusion implants configured to restore and maintain two adjacent vertebrae of the spine in correct anatomical angular relationship.
2. Description of The Related Art
Both the cervical and lumbar areas of the human spine are, in a healthy state, lordotic such that they are curved convex forward. It is not uncommon that in degenerative conditions of the spine that lordosis is lost. This effectively shortens the spinal canal which decreases its capacity. Further, the absence of lordosis moves the spinal cord anteriorly where it may be compressed against the posterior portions of the vertebral bodies and discs. Finally, such a loss of lordosis disturbs the overall mechanics of the spine which may cause cascading degenerative changes throughout the adjacent spinal segments.
The surgical treatment of those degenerative conditions of the spine in which the spinal discs are in various states of collapse, and out of lordosis, commonly involves spinal fusion. That is the joining together of adjacent vertebrae through an area of shared bone. When the shared bone is in the area previously occupied by the intervertebral disc that is referred to as an interbody fusion. Further history in this regard is provided in application Ser. No. 08/263,952 entitled Artificial Spinal Fusion Implants (“Parent Application”) incorporated herein by reference.
The Parent Application taught the use of artificial spinal fusion implants that were capable of being placed between adjacent vertebrae, and which implants were capable of containing and providing fusion promoting substances including bone at the fusion site. These devices were further capable of restoring the height of the disc space and of supporting the spine, and were self-stabilizing as well as being stabilizing to the spinal area where implanted.
The present invention is directed to interbody spinal fusion implants having a structural configuration that provides for the maintaining and creating of the normal anatomic angular relationship of two adjacent vertebrae of the spine to maintain and create spinal lordosis. The spinal fusion implants of the present invention are sized to fit within the disc space created by the removal of disc material between two adjacent vertebrae and conform wholly or in part to the disc space created. The spinal fusion implants of the present invention have upper and lower surfaces that form a support structure for bearing against the end plates of the adjacent vertebrae. In the preferred embodiments, the upper and lower surfaces are disposed in a converging angular relationship to each other such that the implants of the present invention have an overall “wedged-shape” in an elevational side view. The angular relationship of the upper and lower surfaces places and maintains the vertebrae adjacent to those surfaces in an angular relationship to each other, creating and maintaining the desired lordosis.
The implants of the present invention may have surface irregularities to increase their surface area, and/or to further engage the adjacent vertebrae and to enhance stability. The lordotic implants of the present invention may have surface irregularities that are uniform in height along the longitudinal axis of the upper and lower vertebrae engaging surfaces, or may increase in height from one end of the implant to the other. That is, the implant body and the surface formed and the projections may be similarly wedged. The outer contour of the surface projections may be more or less rectangular while the underlying implant may be wedge-shaped; or the reverse wherein the underlying implant body is more or less rectangular while the contour of the surface projections are wedge-shaped from one end of the implant to the other.
The implants of the present invention have various faces which may be curved so as to conform to the shape of the vertebral surfaces adjacent to the area of the disc removal. Specifically the upper and/or lower surfaces may be convex, and/or the front and/or rear surfaces may be convex. The surfaces of the implants of the present invention may have openings which may or may not pass all the way through them, and a central chamber in communication to the surface through holes. The openings may be of random sizes, and/or shapes, and/or distributions. The implants themselves may be composed of materials, and/or have surface treatments, to encourage microscopic bone ingrowth into the implants.
In the performing of a posterior lumbar interbody fusion, it is not possible to replace the removed portions of the disc, if a total nuclear discectomy has been performed, with a single large implant as the delicate dural sac containing the spinal cord, and the nerve roots cover at all times at least some portion of the posterior disc space. As set forth in the Parent Application, the use of “modular implants” is appropriate in such cases. The modular implants being approximately as long as the depth of the disc material removed, but being considerably narrower, such that they can be introduced into the disc space from the posterior aspect to either side of the dural sac, and then aligned side to side within the disc space so that a number of them each having a length consistent with the depth of the disc removed in that area would in combination have a width equal to the width of the disc material removed.
The modular implants of the present invention may be generally wedge-shaped and may have upper and lower surfaces conforming to the contours of the vertebral endplates, which contours include but are not limited to being relatively flat or convex. As the disc spaces in the lumbar spine are generally lordotic, said implants in the preferred embodiment would be taller anteriorly, that is at the implant's insertion end, and less tall posteriorly, that is at the implant's trailing end. To introduce an implant that is taller at its insertion end than the space available at the posterior aspect of the disc space, even when that disc space is optimally distracted, is problematic.
The modular implants of the present invention provide two solutions to the problem. In the first embodiment, the modular implants may have a reduced size at their insertion end, including but not limited to a bullet nose, a convexity, and a chamfer to a smaller front surface. This then provides that the implant has an area small enough to be introduced into the posterior aspect of the disc space when the disc space is adequately distracted and the contour of that specialized leading portion of the implant is such that it then allows for a ramping up of the adjacent vertebrae relative to the implant as the implant is advanced forward into the disc space.
The implants of the present invention provide a second solution to this same problem. In the preferred embodiment of the modular implant, the implant is again wedge-shaped in the side elevational view and is taller at its insertion end than at its trailing end. However, the implant incorporates at its trailing end a means for engaging insertion instrumentation such as the box and threaded opening configuration disclosed in the Parent Application. Since in the preferred embodiment these implants are wedge-shaped in the side elevational view when upright but are generally rectangular when viewed from the top plan view, these implants are therefore designed to be introduced into the disc space on their side such that the side walls of the implants are adjacent to the end plates of the adjacent vertebrae. The implants have a side-to-side dimension that is less than the dimension through the insertion end of the implant when upright. It is possible to easily insert these implants with them on their side and then to use the insertion instrument engaged to the implant to rotate the implants ninety degrees into the fully upright position, once they have been fully inserted. Once inserted, the upper and lower surfaces are adjacent to the endplates of the adjacent vertebrae and create and maintain the desired angular relationship of the adjacent vertebrae as the upper and lower walls are angled with respect to each other.
In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, a mechanical implant which may be inserted in a collapsed position and which may then be adjusted to increase in height so as to provide for the optimal restoration of the height of the space between the adjacent vertebrae is disclosed. The mechanical implant may be wedge-shaped, and have upper and lower surfaces, the contours of which generally conform to the contacted areas of the adjacent vertebral endplates and which contours may include but are not limited to being relatively flat, or convex. Further, the mechanical implant may be wedge-shaped or generally rectangular, but capable of increasing in both height and the extent of wedging when adjusted. This may easily be achieved by having one of the two wedge mechanisms employed in the example given being larger, or steeper than the other. Alternatively, a single wedge may be utilized, and if it is desired to achieved increased height at one end of the implant while restricting the height at the other, then the end of the implant may incorporate a hinge means and the height expansion at the other end achieved by drawing a wedge member, bar, ball, or other means from the far end toward the hinged end so as to drive said upper and lower surfaces apart in a wedged fashion.
In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, an implant having a mechanically deployable bone engaging means is taught. Such an implant is generally wedge-shaped in the side elevational view and has upper and lower surfaces generally conforming to the contour of the vertebral endplates where contacted by the implant, and which upper and lower surfaces may be but are not limited to being either flat or convex. The use of such deployable bone engaging means are particularly of value in that the largest possible implant may be inserted into a disc space and the vertebral engaging means, which if fixed to the surface would have blocked the insertion of the implant, may then be deployed after the insertion such that the distance from the tip of the upper and lower bone engagement means exceeds the height of the space available for insertion. Such a feature is of particular value when the implant itself is wedge-shaped as the considerable compressive loads across the lumbar spine would tend to drive a wedge-shaped implant out of the disc space.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a spinal fusion implant that is easily inserted into the spine, having a tapered leading end;
It is another object of the present invention to provide a spinal fusion implant that tapers in height from one end to the other consistent with the taper of a normal spinal disc;
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a spinal fusion implant that is capable of maintaining anatomic alignment and lordosis of two adjacent vertebrae during the spinal fusion process;
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a spinal fusion implant that is self stabilizing within the spine;
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a spinal fusion implant that is capable of providing stability between adjacent vertebrae when inserted;
It is further another object of the present invention to provide a spinal fusion implant that is capable of spacing apart and supporting adjacent vertebrae in an angular relationship during the spinal fusion process;
It is still further another object of the present invention to provide a spinal fusion implant that fits between to adjacent vertebrae and preserves the end plants of those vertebrae; and
It is another object of the present invention to provide a spinal fusion implant having a shape which conforms to the endplates of the adjacent vertebrae; and
These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent from a review of the accompanying drawings and the detailed description of the drawings.
Referring to
The upper and lower surfaces 112 and 114 of the implant 100 may be flat or curved to conform to the shape of the end plates of the adjacent vertebrae between which the implant 100 is inserted. The implant 100 conforms to the shape of the nucleus pulposus and a portion of the annulus fibrosus removed from the vertebrae. The upper and lower surfaces 112 and 114 comprise surface roughenings that provide a surface suitable for engaging the adjacent vertebrae to stabilize the implant 100 within the disc space once surgically implanted. The surface roughenings of the upper and lower surfaces 112 and 114 comprise a surface knurling 121 and/or grooves.
Referring to
In this embodiment, the implant 100 is hollow and comprises a plurality of openings 115 of passing through the upper and lower surfaces 112 and 114 and into a central hollow chamber 116. The openings 115 provide for bone growth to occur from the vertebrae through the openings 115 to the internal chamber 116. While the openings 115 have been shown in the drawings as being circular, it is appreciated that the openings 115 may have any shape, size, configuration or distribution suitable for use in a spinal implant without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, the openings may have a tear-drop configuration as shown in opening 115a in
The implant 100 has an insertion end 120 and a trailing end 130 both of which may be curved or flat. The trailing end 130 of the implant may be convex to conform to the curvature of the vertebrae and has a means for engaging an implant insertion instrument comprising a depressed portion 124 with a central threaded opening 126 for receiving the engaging end of a driving instrument. The insertion end 120 of the implant 100 comprises an access opening 132 and a slidable door 134 which closes the opening 132. The slidable door 134 covers the opening 132 into the chamber 116 and permits the insertion of autogenous bone material into the chamber 116.
In use, the slidable door 134 is placed in the open position for loading material into the chamber 116. The slideable door 134 has a depression 136 for facilitating the opening and closing of the door 134. The internal chamber 116 can be filled and hold any natural or artificial osteoconductive, osteoinductive, osteogenic, or other fusion enhancing material. Some examples of such materials are bone harvested from the patient, or bone growth inducing material such as, but not limited to, hydroxyapatite, hydroxyapatite tricalcium phosphate; or bone morphogenic protein. The implant 100 itself is made of material appropriate for human implantation such as titanium and/or may be made of, and/or filled and/or coated with a bone ingrowth inducing material such as, but not limited to, hydroxyapatite or hydroxyapatite tricalcium phosphate or any other osteoconductive, osteoinductive, osteogenic, or other fusion enhancing material.
The fusion enhancing material that is packed within the chamber 116 of the implant 100 serves to promote bone ingrowth between the implant 100 and the adjacent vertebrae. Once the bone ingrowth occurs, the implant 100 will be a permanent fixture preventing dislodgement of the implant as well as preventing any movement between the adjacent vertebrae.
The slidable door 134 is then closed prior to implantation. In the closed position, the slideable door conforms to the curvature of the insertion end 120 of the implant 100. Various methods of packing the implant 100 with the autogenous bone material may be used to obtain a completely packed implant 100.
The method of inserting the implant 100 is set forth in detail in application Ser. No. 08/263,952, incorporated herein by reference. The threaded end of a driving instrument is attached to the threaded opening 126 in the trailing end 130 of the implant 100 and the fitting of the driving instrument into the depressed portion 124 prevents movement of the implant 100 in relationship to the driving instrument. The implant 100 is then placed at the entrance to the disc space between the two adjacent vertebrae V. The driver instrument is then tapped with a hammer sufficiently hard enough to drive the implant 100 into the disc space.
The size of the implant 100 is substantially the same size as the disc material that it is replacing and thus will be larger or smaller depending on the amount of disc material removed to create the disc space in which it is to be used. In the preferred embodiment in regard to the lumbar spine the implant 100 has a width W approximately 28-48 mm wide, approximately 36 mm being preferred. The implant 100 has a height H conforming to the restoration of the anatomic height of the disc space the average height would range from 8-16 mm, with 10-12 of which being the preferred average height. The depth D along mid-longitudinal axis MLA would at its maximum range from 20 to 34 mm with 26 to 32 being the preferred maximum depth. In the cervical spine the width of the implant is in the range of approximately 14-28 mm, with the preferred width being 18-22 mm. The implant has a height in the range of approximately 5-10 mm with the preferred height being 6-8 mm. The implant has a depth in the range of approximately 11-21 mm with the preferred depth being 11-13 mm.
Referring to
Referring to
In addition to the channels 215, the implant 200 may have small openings 222 on the side wall 218 which may or may not pass through the entire implant 200. The same openings 222 may be in communication with the channels 215 such that bone ingrowth may occur from the openings 222 to the channels 215 to lock the implant 200 into the fusion mass. If the openings 222 do not pass through the entire implant 200, they may function as small wells for holding fusion promoting materials or described above.
In the preferred embodiment of implant 200, the channels 215 have a diameter in the range of 0.1 mm to 6 mm, with 2-3 mm being the preferred diameter. The openings 222 have a diameter in the range of 0.1 mm to 6 mm, with 1-3 mm being the preferred diameter range. It is appreciated that although the channels 215 and openings 222 are shown having a generally rounded configuration, it is within the scope of the present invention that the channels 215 and openings 222 may have any size, shape, configuration, and distribution suitable for the intended purpose.
The implant 200, has a plurality of ratchetings 250 on the upper and lower surface 212 and 214 for engaging the bone of the adjacent vertebrae. The ratchetings 250 comprise a bone engaging edge 252 and angled segment 254.
Referring specifically to
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
The implant 300 may be made wholly or in part of a solid material and/or a porous material, and/or a mesh-like material. The implant 300 may have a surface comprising of a porous material, a mesh-like material, or have a surface that is roughened. It is appreciated that the implant 300 may be solid or may be partially hollow and include at least one internal chamber in communication with said upper and lower surfaces.
As shown in
Referring to
The implant 400 has a width W that is substantially less than the width of the implants 100-300 such that a series of such implants 400 are used as the interbody spinal implant, each placed closely adjacent to one another to approximate the size of the removed disc. The size of the implant 400 is approximately 26 millimeters in length and is wide enough so that four of them will substantially fill the intervertebral space, depending on which vertebrae are fused.
In the performing of a posterior lumbar interbody fusion, it is not possible to replace the removed portions of the disc, if a total nuclear discectomy has been performed, with a single large implant as the delicate dural sac containing the spinal cord and nerve roots covers at all times at least some portion of the posterior disc space. The use of modular implants 400 that are inserted separately into the disc space is appropriate in such case. The modular implants 400 being approximately as long as the depth of the disc material removed, but being considerably narrower, such that they could be introduced into the disc space from the posterior aspect to either side of the dural sac, and then realigned side to side with the disc space so that a number of them each having a length consistent with the depth of the disc removed in that area would in combination have a width equal to the width of the disc material removed. As the disc spaces in the lumbar spine are generally lordotic, the insertion end 420 of the modular implants 400 would have to be taller and less tall posteriorly at the trailing end 430.
To introduce the modular implant 400 that is taller at its insertion end 420 than the space available at the posterior aspect of the disc space, even when that disc space is optimally distracted, is problematic. The modular implants 400 of provide two solutions to the problem. The modular implants 400 may have a reduced size at their insertion end 420, including but not limited to, a bullet nose, a convexity, and a chamfer to a smaller front surface. This then provides that the implant 400 has an area small enough to be introduced into the posterior aspect of the disc space when the disc space is adequately distracted and the contour of that specialized insertion end of the implant 400 is such that it then allows for a ramping up of the adjacent vertebrae relative to the implant 400 as the implant is advanced forward into the disc space.
Alternatively, or in combination with the above, since in the preferred embodiment the implants 400 are wedge-shaped in the side elevational view when upright but are generally rectangular when viewed from the top plan view, these implants may be introduced into the disc space on their side such that the side walls of the implants are adjacent to the end plates of the adjacent vertebrae. The implants 400 have a side-to-side dimension that is less than the dimension through the insertion end of the implant 400 when upright. It is possible to easily insert the implant 400 first on their side and then to use the insertion instrument engaged to the implant 400 to rotate the implant ninety degrees into the fully upright position, once it has been fully inserted. Once inserted, the upper and lower surfaces 412 and 414 are adjacent to the endplates of the adjacent vertebrae and create and maintain the desired angular relationship of the adjacent vertebrae as the upper and lower surfaces 412 and 414 of the implant 400 are angled with respect to each other.
The implant 400 has large openings 415 in the form of rectangular slots for holding fusion promoting materials to promote bone growth from the vertebrae through the upper and lower surfaces 412 and 414 and into the interior of the implant 400. As the implant 400 is modular and more than one is implanted at a time, the large openings 415 are also present in the side walls 418 of the implant 400 to provide for bone growth from one implant to another implant such that after successful fusion, the modular implants 400 are interconnected to form a single unit.
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
In the preferred embodiment, the posts 540 have a maximum diameter in the range of approximately 0.1-2 mm and a height of approximately 0.1-2 mm and are spaced apart a distance of approximately 0.1-2 mm such that the interstices 542 have a width in the range of approximately 0.1 to 2 mm. The post sizes, shapes, and distributions may be varied within the same implant.
It is appreciated that the implant 500 shares the same structure and features of the implant 400 described above.
The wedges 686 and 688 have a central threaded opening 690 and 692 in alignment with each other for receiving threaded screw 694. As the screw 694 is threaded into the opening 690, the wedges 686 and 688 abut the interior sloped surfaces 689a and 689b of the upper and lower members 682 and 684. As the screw 694 is turned, the wedges 686 and 688 are drawn together, and the sloped portions of the wedges force the upper member 682 away from the lower member 684. As the interior sloped surfaces 689a and 689b have a greater slope near the trailing end 630, than near the insertion end 620, the upper and lower members 682 and 684 are forced apart more at the insertion end 620 than at the trailing end 630. As a result, the upper and lower members 682 and 684 are disposed at a converging angular relationship to each other and support the adjacent vertebrae V1 and V2 in the same angular relationship.
Referring to
The implant 700 has opposing wedge shaped members 712 and 714 having a central threaded opening 716 for receiving a threaded screw 718 having a head 720 and a slot 722. The wedges 712 and 714 are facing each other so that upon turning of the screw 718, will the two wedges 712 and 714 are drawn together to cause the spikes 708 to pivot about their end 710 and project to the exterior of the implant 700 through the aligned slots 706. The implant 700 may comprise a series of holes 724 on its surfaces for promoting bone ingrowth and fusion.
In use, after the removal of the disc material, the implant 700 with the spikes 708 in their withdrawn position, is inserted into the disc space. Then the screw 718 is turned until the spikes 708 are forced to enter the vertebrae and the implant 700 is thus held firmly in place.
While the invention has been described with regards to the preferred embodiment and a number of alternative embodiments, it is recognized that other embodiments of the present invention may be devised which would not depart from the scope of the present invention.
This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 09/412,090, filed Oct. 4, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,441,544; which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/813,283, filed Mar. 10, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,302,914; which is a divisional of application Ser. No. 08/482,146, filed Jun. 7, 1995, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,609,635; all of which are incorporated herein by reference.
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