Low profile intervertebral implant

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10137003-B2
Application number	US-201715656601-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 21, 2017
Priority date	Nov 16, 2007
Publication date	Nov 27, 2018
Grant date	Nov 27, 2018

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a low profile intervertebral implant for implantation in an intervertebral disc space in-between adjacent vertebral bodies. The intervertebral implant includes a plate preferably coupled to a spacer. The plate is preferably formed from a first material and the spacer is preferably formed from a second material, the first material being different from the second material. The plate is preferably sized and configured so that the plate does not extend beyond the perimeter of the spacer. In this manner, the plate preferably does not increase the height profile of the spacer and the plate may be implanted within the intervertebral disc space in conjunction with the spacer.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A low profile intervertebral implant sized and configured to be implanted between adjacent upper and lower vertebral bodies, the implant comprising:
a spacer having a first insertion end, a second end opposite the first insertion end, an upper surface configured to contact the upper vertebral body when the implant is implanted, and a lower surface configured to contact the lower vertebral body when the implant is implanted;
a plate including a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface, the second surface spaced from the first surface in a first direction, the plate configured to be coupled to the spacer such that the second surface of the plate faces the second end of the spacer, the plate including an upper plate surface configured to face the upper vertebral body when the implant is implanted, the plate including a lower plate surface configured to face the lower vertebral body when the implant is implanted, the plate defining a first through hole configured to receive a first bone screw, the plate further including a first arm that extends from the second surface in the first direction, the first arm including a first inner spacer contacting surface, the plate further including a second arm that extends from the second surface in the first direction, the second arm including a second inner spacer contacting surface spaced from the first inner spacer contacting surface along a second direction that is perpendicular to the first direction; and
a bone fixation element that extends away from the upper plate surface at a location spaced from the first surface in the first direction, the location spaced from the second surface in a direction opposite the first direction;
wherein the second surface, the first inner spacer contacting surface, and the second inner spacer contacting surface combine to define a void that is configured to receive a portion of the spacer, the void defining a first width measured from the first inner spacer contacting surface to the second inner spacer contacting surface along the second direction at a first position, the void defining a second width measured from the first inner spacer contacting surface to the second inner spacer contacting surface along the second direction at a second position, the first width is greater than the second width, and the second width is spaced from the first width in the first direction.

2. The low profile intervertebral implant of claim 1 , wherein the first surface defines an opening of the first through hole, and the location is aligned with the first through hole with respect to the second direction.

3. The low profile intervertebral implant of claim 2 , wherein the upper plate surface is spaced from the lower plate surface in a third direction, the third direction is perpendicular to both the first direction and the second direction, the plate defines a maximum plate height measured in the third direction, the spacer defines a minimum spacer height measured in the third direction from a surface that faces in a direction opposite the third direction to a surface that faces in the third direction when the plate is coupled to the spacer, and the maximum plate height is greater than the minimum spacer height.

4. The low profile intervertebral implant of claim 3 , wherein the maximum plate height is measured at a location that is aligned with the opening of the first through hole with respect to the second direction.

5. The low profile intervertebral implant of claim 3 , wherein the first arm defines a minimum arm height measured in the third direction from an upper arm surface that faces in the direction opposite the third direction to a lower arm surface that faces in the third direction, and the maximum plate height is greater than the minimum arm height.

6. The low profile intervertebral implant of claim 1 , wherein the spacer defines a through hole.

7. The low profile intervertebral implant of claim 6 , further comprising a back out prevention mechanism, wherein the back out prevention mechanism is aligned with the through hole with respect to the second direction.

8. The low profile intervertebral implant of claim 1 , wherein the bone fixation element is configured to secure the implant to the upper vertebral body.

9. The low profile intervertebral implant of claim 8 , wherein the bone fixation element is a first bone fixation element, the implant further comprising a second bone fixation element configured to secure the implant to the upper vertebral body.

10. The low profile intervertebral implant of claim 9 , wherein the first surface defines an opening configured to receive a back out prevention mechanism, and the opening is positioned between the first bone fixation element and the second bone fixation element with respect to the second direction.

11. The low profile intervertebral implant of claim 9 , further comprising a third bone fixation element configured to secure the implant to the lower vertebral body.

12. The low profile intervertebral implant of claim 8 , wherein the bone fixation element is a first bone fixation element, the implant further comprising a second bone fixation element configured to secure the implant to the lower vertebral body.

13. The low profile intervertebral implant of claim 1 , wherein the first surface defines an opening configured to receive a back out prevention mechanism.

14. The low profile intervertebral implant of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the first surface is convex.

15. The low profile intervertebral implant of claim 1 , wherein the upper plate surface defines a flat portion between the location and the front surface.

16. The low profile intervertebral implant of claim 1 , wherein the bone fixation element is a bone screw.

Assignees

• Depuy Synthes Products Inc

Inventors

• Kueenzi Thomas
• Walsh Ryan T
• Pepe Thomas
• Hunziker Markus
• Koch David

Classifications

• A61F2/28

  Bones · CPC title

• A61F2002/30092

  using shape memory or superelastic materials, e.g. nitinol · CPC title

• A61F2310/00023

  Titanium or titanium-based alloys, e.g. Ti-Ni alloys · CPC title

• A61F2230/0065

  toroidal, e.g. ring-shaped, doughnut-shaped · CPC title

• A61F2/447

  substantially parallelepipedal, e.g. having a rectangular or trapezoidal cross-section · CPC title