Adjustable tether implant

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12508058-B2
Application number	US-202318464451-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 11, 2023
Priority date	Oct 7, 2022
Publication date	Dec 30, 2025
Grant date	Dec 30, 2025

Abstract

An adjustable implant system configured to non-invasively guide bone growth in a patient. The adjustable implant system includes a tether having a first end coupled to a fixed bone anchor and a second end coupled to an adjustable bone anchor. The adjustable bone anchor includes a driver disposed within a housing and the driver is configured to actuate in response to an externally applied magnetic field. The adjustable implant system includes an external adjustment device configured to non-invasively actuate the driver disposed within the adjustable bone anchor. Non-invasive actuation of the driver can cause the adjustable bone anchor to increase or decrease the amount of tension on the tether.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An implant system, comprising:
a tether having a first end opposite a second end; a fixed bone anchor configured to couple to the first end of the tether; and an adjustable bone anchor configured to couple to the second end of the tether, the adjustable bone anchor including:
a housing extending between a distal end and a proximal end of the adjustable bone anchor,
a driver disposed within the housing, wherein the driver is configured to drive rotational motion,
an output shaft extending proximally from the driver,
a screw cap disposed at the proximal end of the adjustable bone anchor, and
a clamping mechanism having a lower portion configured to rotatably engage the output shaft, and an upper portion configured to couple to an inner surface of the screw cap,
wherein the lower portion is configured to translate within the housing in response to rotation by the driver relative to the lower portion,
wherein the clamping mechanism is configured to secure the adjustable bone anchor to the tether.

2 . The implant system of claim 1 , wherein the driver comprises a rotatable permanent magnet configured to be rotated by an externally applied magnetic field.

3 . The implant system of claim 2 , further comprising an external adjustment device including an external magnet configured to actuate the rotatable permanent magnet.

4 . The implant system of claim 3 , wherein the external magnet is configured to rotate in a first direction corresponding to locking the clamping mechanism and to rotate in a second direction corresponding to unlocking the clamping mechanism.

5 . The implant system of claim 1 , wherein the fixed bone anchor comprises a plate coupled to a proximal end of an externally threaded screw, the plate including an attachment feature configured to couple to the first end of the tether.

6 . The implant system of claim 1 , wherein the adjustable bone anchor includes an externally threaded portion configured to engage bone.

7 . The implant system of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the tether extends through the adjustable bone anchor between the upper portion and the lower portion of the clamping mechanism.

8 . The implant system of claim 1 , wherein the clamping mechanism is configured to engage or disengage the tether to increase or decrease tension on the tether, respectively.

9 . The implant system of claim 8 , wherein the clamping mechanism is configured to engage or disengage the tether in response to actuation of the driver.

10 . The implant system of claim 9 , wherein the output shaft is configured to cause the lower portion of the clamping mechanism to translate proximally to engage and distally to disengage the upper portion of the clamping mechanism in response to actuation of the driver.

11 . The implant system of claim 1 , wherein the upper and lower portions of the clamping mechanism each include a flat surface.

12 . The implant system of claim 1 , wherein one of the upper portion and the lower portion of the clamping mechanism includes a feature having a triangular cross sectional shape, and the other of the upper portion and the lower portion includes a recess configured to receive the triangular cross sectional shaped feature.

13 . The implant system of claim 1 , wherein one of the upper portion and the lower portion of the clamping mechanism includes a barbed surface, and the other of the upper portion and the lower portion includes a recess configured to receive the barbed surface.

14 . The implant system of claim 1 , wherein one of the upper portion and the lower portion of the clamping mechanism comprises two features, each having a triangular cross sectional shape, and the other one of the upper portion and the lower portion comprises two recesses configured to receive the features having the triangular cross sectional shape.

15 . The implant system of claim 1 , wherein the screw cap comprises at least one aperture configured to laterally receive the tether therethrough.

16 . The implant system of claim 15 , wherein the at least one aperture further comprises a pair of apertures, and wherein the clamping mechanism is positioned laterally between the pair of apertures, such that the tether extends through the pair of apertures and between the upper portion and the lower portion of the clamping mechanism.

17 . The implant system of claim 1 , wherein the adjustable bone anchor includes a bone engagement surface adjacent the distal end configured to engage a bone.

18 . The implant system of claim 1 , wherein the lower portion of the clamping mechanism includes an internally threaded portion configured to engage an externally threaded portion of the output shaft.

19 . The implant system of claim 1 , wherein the fixed bone anchor, the adjustable bone anchor, and the tether comprise a biocompatible material.

20 . The implant system of claim 1 , wherein the fixed bone anchor and the adjustable bone anchor comprise titanium, and wherein the tether comprises polyethylene.

Assignees

• Nuvasive Specialized Orthopedics Inc

Inventors

• Cheng Shanbao
• An Joon
• Moeller Michael
• Placie Shawn
• Camacho Jorge Lopez
• Kim Woong
• Chen Emmon

Classifications

• A61B17/56

  Surgical instruments or methods for treatment of bones or joints; Devices specially adapted therefor · CPC title

• A61B2017/564

  Methods for bone or joint treatment · CPC title

• A61B2017/00876

  magnetic · CPC title

• A61B2017/00411

  actuated by application of energy from an energy source outside the body · CPC title

• A61B2017/0454

  the anchor being crimped or clamped on the suture · CPC title