Systems for and methods of fusing a sacroiliac joint

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9333090-B2
Application number	US-201313946790-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 19, 2013
Priority date	Jan 13, 2010
Publication date	May 10, 2016
Grant date	May 10, 2016

Abstract

Systems for and methods of fusing a sacroiliac joint are provided which include an implant assembly adapted to be inserted into the joint space defined by the bones of a sacrum and an ilium, a delivery tool and means for inserting the implant assembly into the joint. The implant assembly includes a body disposed intermediate distal and proximate end portions thereof and having oppositely disposed side members adapted to expandably engage the sacroiliac joint following insertion of the assembly into the joint space. A tool is provided and provides a means for placing the implant assembly adjacent the sacroiliac joint, inserting it into the joint space and expanding means are thereafter applied to expand the oppositely disposed side members into operative engagement with the joint.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of fusing a sacroiliac joint including: bone material including a sacrum and an ilium, the sacrum including a lateral anterior curved boundary, the ilium including a posterior superior iliac spine having a posterior inferior overhang and a posterior inferior iliac spine; a joint space defined between the sacrum and the ilium and defining a joint plane; an extra-articular space including an extra-articular recess access region; and an articular region including a posterior inferior access region, a posterior boundary segment, an anterior-inferior corner, a caudal region, and a cranial region, the method comprising:
positioning an implant assembly adjacent the sacroiliac joint, the implant assembly comprising a distal end portion, a proximal end portion, and a body portion extending between the distal and proximal end portions, the body portion including a first side member including a first opening and a second side member including a second opening and oppositely disposed with the first side member such that the first and second openings are generally aligned to define a passageway extending across the body portion, each of the first and second openings bounded by a fixed perimeter, each side member being structured and arranged to expandably engage the sacroiliac joint following insertion therein;
delivering the implant assembly into the sacroiliac joint via a posterior approach with a generally anterior trajectory of delivery, the implant assembly being positioned in the joint space such that the first and second oppositely disposed side members generally oppose the sacrum and the ilium respectively; and
expanding the first and second oppositely disposed side members into operative engagement with the sacrum and the ilium.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein each of the side members includes a bone engaging surface having a plurality of ridges formed thereon structured and arranged to operatively engage the sacrum or the ilium in response to the expansion of the implant assembly.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein each of the side members includes a guide mechanism operatively connected thereto and adapted to guide the movement of the side member into operative engagement with the sacroiliac joint in response to the expansion of the side members.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the each of the side members includes a sloped surface, the sloped surface being structured and arranged to operatively engage an actuating body configured to cause the oppositely disposed side members to expand.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the body portion of the implant assembly includes an actuating body movably disposed in the proximal end of the implant assembly, the expanding step further comprising moving the actuating body into engagement with each of the oppositely disposed side members to expand them into engagement with the sacrum or the ilium.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the actuating body includes a tapered surface.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein the body portion of the implant assembly includes the actuating body having a tapered surface movably disposed in the proximal end of the implant assembly, the expanding step further comprising moving the tapered surface of the actuating body into engagement with at least one of the sloped surfaces of the oppositely disposed side members to expand them into engagement with the sacrum and the ilium.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the actuating body is at least partially threaded.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the implant assembly is delivered into the joint space through the posterior inferior access region of the articular region of the sacroiliac joint.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the posterior inferior access region has a superior end and an inferior end, the superior end being about 0 mm to about 40 mm inferior of the posterior inferior overhang of the posterior superior iliac spine.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the inferior end is about at the intersection of the posterior inferior iliac spine and the lateral anterior curved boundary of the sacrum.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the posterior inferior access region has a superior end and an inferior end, the inferior end being about at the intersection of the posterior inferior iliac spine and the lateral anterior curved boundary of the sacrum.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the implant assembly is delivered into the joint space via a cranial access.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the implant assembly is delivered into a cranial region of the sacroiliac joint.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the implant assembly is delivered into the joint space via a caudal access.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the implant assembly is delivered into a caudal region of the sacroiliac joint.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the caudal region is bounded on an inferior side by an inferior boundary segment and on a superior side by a laterally extending portion of a posterior boundary segment.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein, in delivering the implant assembly into the joint space, a longitudinal edge of the body portion of the implant assembly is generally immediately adjacent an inferior sacroiliac joint space border while the distal end portion of the body portion is oriented towards: 1) an anterior sacroiliac joint space border; 2) a superior sacroiliac joint space border; or 3) somewhere between 1 and 2.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein the first and second openings maintain substantial alignment prior to and subsequent to delivery of the implant assembly into the sacroiliac joint.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein each of the side members includes a planar bone engaging surface.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein, when the implant assembly is positioned in the joint space, the planar bone engaging surfaces of the side members are generally parallel with the joint plane of the sacroiliac joint.

22. The method of claim 20 wherein the planar bone engaging surfaces remain planar when expanded into operative engagement with the sacrum and the ilium.

23. The method of claim 1 wherein each of the side members includes a bone engaging surface having at least one ridge formed thereon structured and arranged to operatively engage the sacrum or the ilium, the at least one ridges being in a fixed relation to the bone engaging surfaces.

24. The method of claim 1 wherein the expansion of the first and second side members is generally perpendicular to the joint plane.

25. The method of claim 1 wherein the expansion of the first and second side members is generally limited to being perpendicular to the joint plane.

26. The method of claim 1 wherein the expansion of the first and second side members is restrained to certain planes of expansion.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein the certain planes are planes generally perpendicular to the joint plane.

28. A method of fusing a sacroiliac joint including: bone material including a sacrum and an ilium, the sacrum including a lateral anterior curved boundary, the ilium including a posterior superior iliac spine having a posterior inferior overhang and a posterior inferior iliac spine; a joint space defined between the sacrum and the ilium and defining a joint plane; an extra-articular space including an extra-articular recess access region; and an articular region includ

Assignees

• Jcbd Llc

Inventors

• Donner Edward Jeffrey
• Donner Christopher Thomas

Classifications

• A61B17/1671

  for the spine · CPC title

• B33Y80/00

  Products made by additive manufacturing · CPC title

• A61F2/4603

  for insertion or extraction of endoprosthetic joints or of accessories thereof · CPC title

• A61B2017/00876

  magnetic · CPC title

• A61F2002/30179

  X-shaped · CPC title