Spinal rod-to-rod connectors

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2023129404-A1
Application number	US-202117798691-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 28, 2021
Priority date	Jan 28, 2020
Publication date	Apr 27, 2023
Grant date	—

Abstract

A polyaxial rod connector comprising a body having an external surface. The connector body is intersected by an imaginary first reference plane and an imaginary second reference plane perpendicular to the first plane. The first body portion is on one side of the first plane and defines a first spinal rod passage defining a first passage axis and a first set screw opening defining a first axis perpendicular to the first passage axis. A second body portion is adjoined to the first body portion, defining a second spinal rod passage defining a plurality of passage axes, and a second set screw opening defining a second axis perpendicular to the plurality of second passage axes. The first passage axis is non-parallel with one of second passage axes in the second plane. Either the first or second spinal rod passage have an hourglass shaped cross-section parallel to the second plane.

First claim

We claim:

1 . A polyaxial rod connector, the polyaxial rod connector comprising a connector body, the connector body having an external surface, the connector body being intersected by an imaginary first reference plane and an imaginary second reference plane perpendicular to the imaginary first reference plane,
a. a first body portion being on a first side of the imaginary first reference plane, the first body portion defining openings to a first spinal rod passage defining a first spinal rod passage axis and a first internally threaded set screw opening defining a first set screw axis perpendicular to the first spinal rod passage axis; b. a second body portion adjoined to the first body portion on a second side of the imaginary first reference plane, the second body portion defining openings to a second spinal rod passage defining a plurality of second spinal rod passage axes, and a second internally threaded set screw opening defining a second set screw axis perpendicular to each of the plurality of second spinal rod passage axes; c. wherein the first spinal rod passage axis is non-parallel with at least one of the plurality of second spinal rod passage axes in the imaginary second reference plane; and d. wherein one of the first spinal rod passage and the second spinal rod passage comprises a generally hourglass shaped cross section parallel to the imaginary second reference plane.

2 . The polyaxial rod connector of claim 1 , wherein the first spinal rod passage axis and the plurality of second spinal rod passage axes are co-planar.

3 . The polyaxial rod connector of claim 1 , wherein the first set screw axis and the second set screw axis are parallel and co-planar.

4 . The polyaxial rod connector of claim 1 , the plurality of second spinal rod passage axes sweeps an angle of between about 1 degree and about 40 degrees.

5 . The polyaxial rod connector of claim 1 , comprising a spinal rod cradle rest having a cradle base being disposed in movable contact with an internal surface of the second spinal rod passage, the spinal rod cradle rest comprising a central cradle axis oriented perpendicular to the cradle base and co-axial with the second set screw axis.

6 . The polyaxial rod connector of claim 1 , wherein the connector body is unitary and bisected by the imaginary first reference plane.

7 . The polyaxial rod connector of claim 1 , wherein the connector body is unitary and bisected by the imaginary second reference plane.

8 . A polyaxial rod connector, the polyaxial rod connector comprising a connector body, the connector body having an external surface, the connector body being intersected by an imaginary first reference plane and an imaginary second reference plane perpendicular to the imaginary first reference plane,
a. a first body portion being on a first side of the imaginary first reference plane, the first body portion defining openings to a first spinal rod passage defining a plurality of first spinal rod passage axes and a first internally threaded set screw opening defining a first set screw axis perpendicular to each of the plurality of first spinal rod passage axes; b. a second body portion adjoined to the first body portion on a second side of the imaginary first reference plane, the second body portion defining openings to a second spinal rod passage defining a plurality of second spinal rod passage axes, and a second internally threaded set screw opening defining a second set screw axis perpendicular to each of the plurality of second spinal rod passage axes; c. wherein one of the plurality of second spinal rod passage axes is non-parallel to the imaginary first reference plane; and d. wherein the second spinal rod passage comprises a generally hourglass shaped cross section parallel to the imaginary second reference plane.

9 . The polyaxial rod connector of claim 8 , further comprising the first spinal rod passage comprises a generally hourglass shaped cross section parallel to the imaginary first reference plane.

10 . The polyaxial rod connector of claim 8 , wherein the first set screw axis is perpendicular to the second set screw axis.

11 . The polyaxial rod connector of claim 8 , further comprising the first spinal rod passage comprises a generally hourglass shaped cross section parallel to the imaginary second reference plane.

12 . The polyaxial rod connector of claim 8 , wherein the first set screw axis is parallel to the second set screw axis.

13 . The polyaxial spinal rod connector of claim 8 , wherein the plurality of first spinal rod passage axes are parallel to the imaginary first reference plane.

14 . The polyaxial rod connector of claim 8 , wherein the plurality of second spinal rod passage axes are parallel to the imaginary second reference plane.

15 . The polyaxial rod connector of claim 8 , comprising a first spinal rod cradle rest having a cradle base being disposed in movable contact with an internal surface of the first spinal rod passage, the first spinal rod cradle rest comprising a central cradle axis oriented perpendicular to the cradle base and co-axial with the first set screw axis.

16 . The polyaxial rod connector of claim 15 , further comprising a second spinal rod cradle rest having a cradle base being disposed in movable contact with an internal surface of the second spinal rod passage, the second spinal rod cradle rest comprising a central cradle axis oriented perpendicular to the cradle base and co-axial with the second set screw axis.

17 . A polyaxial rod connector, the polyaxial rod connector comprising a connector body, the connector body having an external surface, the connector body being intersected by an imaginary first reference plane,
a. a first body portion being on a first side of the imaginary first reference plane, the first body portion defining openings to a first spinal rod passage defining a plurality of first spinal rod passage axes and a first internally threaded set screw opening defining a first set screw axis perpendicular to each of the plurality of first spinal rod passage axes; b. a second body portion adjoined to the first body portion on a second side of the imaginary first reference plane, the second body portion defining openings to a second spinal rod passage defining a plurality of second spinal rod passage axes, and a second internally threaded set screw opening defining a second set screw axis perpendicular to each of the plurality of second spinal rod passage axes; c. wherein one of the plurality of second spinal rod passage axes is non-parallel to the imaginary first reference plane; and d. wherein the second spinal rod passage comprises a generally hourglass shaped cross section perpendicular to the second set screw axis.

18 . The polyaxial rod connector of claim 17 , wherein the first set screw axis and the second set screw axis 828 are co-planar and non-parallel, sweeping an angle of between 1 degree and 179 degrees.

19 . The polyaxial rod connector of claim 17 , wherein neither of the plurality of first spinal rod passage axes and the plurality of second spinal rod axes is co-planar with the imaginary first reference plane.

20 . The polyaxial rod connector of claim 17 , wherein the connector body is unitary and bisected by the imaginary first reference plane.

Assignees

• Orthopediatrics Corp

Inventors

• Lengyel Rebecca Boerigter
• Gibbs Collin
• Lubensky Scott
• Daniels David Wayne

Classifications

• A61B17/7049 Primary

  Connectors, not bearing on the vertebrae, for linking longitudinal elements together (A61B17/7055, A61B17/7053, A61B17/7019 take precedence) · CPC title

• A61B17/7035 Primary

  Screws or hooks, wherein a rod-clamping part and a bone-anchoring part can pivot relative to each other · CPC title

• A61B17/705

  for linking adjacent ends of longitudinal elements · CPC title

• A61B17/7032

  Screws or hooks with U-shaped head or back through which longitudinal rods pass · CPC title