Patent · US Expired

Vertebral prosthesis

US4932975A · kind A · utility

771Cited by
10References
14Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateOct 16, 1989
Grant dateJun 12, 1990
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 16, 2009

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY10S606/91
  • WIPO fieldMedical technology
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A dynamic prosthetic vertebral body for use in a cavity left by resection of a natural vertebral body and adjacent intervertebral discs. The prosthesis includes a pair of rigid housings joined by a connecting structure that is operable to shift the housings apart into supportive engagement with the healthy vertebral bodies adjacent the site of the resected body. Anchoring pins project outwardly in axial directions from the respective housings for secure fixation to the healthy vertebral bodies. Within the chamber of each housing is a rigid suspension plate surrounded by an elastomeric suspension medium, and the suspension plates of the two housings are joined by the expandable connecting structure. The relative sizes of the suspension plates and the chambers in which they are received allow limited movement of the housings, resulting in a prosthesis that provides the required support but also mimics the dynamics of a normal vertebra and adjacent discs.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.