Expandable intervertebral spacers

US6395031B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• SDGI, LLC · US

Inventors

• Kevin T. Foley · Germantown, US
• Harald Ebner · Deggendorf, DE
• Mingyan Liu · Bourg-la-Reine, FR
• Charles Branch · Advance, US
• Lawrence M. Boyd · Memphis, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Oct 18, 2000
• Grant date: May 28, 2002
• Expiry date: Nov 17, 2020

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y10S623/908
• WIPO field: Medical technology
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

Laterally expanding vertebral spacer devices are provided for repairing damaged vertebral discs. The vertebral spacer devices maintain the height of a distracted vertebral disc space while providing stability to the spine. In one form of the invention, a vertebral spacer device is provided with a first arm movably coupled to a second arm. The first and second arms are laterally expandable from a first width for insertion into the disc space to a second width after insertion into the disc space. The first and second arms also define a cavity therebetween for placement of bone growth material.