Securing fasteners

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9468482-B2
Application number	US-201514829777-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 19, 2015
Priority date	Jan 18, 2012
Publication date	Oct 18, 2016
Grant date	Oct 18, 2016

Abstract

A polyaxial fastener is secured within an implant with a retaining ring. The ring is assembled onto a circumferential groove formed in the fastener head. The groove and ring are positionable, when the fastener is installed into an implant, at a wide portion of the mating polyaxial aperture in the implant. The ring is compressible into the groove to form a narrowed diameter, which is passable into a narrow diameter of the aperture, near an entrance to the aperture. The ring is released to expand and increase an overall diameter of the head and ring assembly, thereby rending the assembly too wide to pass by the narrow entrance to the aperture, thereby securing the assembly within the implant.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for stabilizing spinal elements comprising:
positioning an implant on spinal elements;
providing a fastener insertable within the implant in a body, the implant having an aperture through which the fastener may be inserted, the aperture defining a larger dimension and a smaller dimension, the fastener comprising:
an elongated body;
a head connected to said body, said head further including a circumferential groove disposable proximate the larger dimension of the implant when said head is mated with said implant; and
a locking member sized to be positionable partly within said circumferential groove to extend from said circumferential groove to thereby increase a widest dimension of said head, said locking member formed with a resilient material, said locking member resiliently expandable from a first compressed configuration having a first dimension to a second relaxed configuration having a second dimension, said second dimension larger than said first dimension,
said head passable into the aperture when said locking member is assembled into said groove and said locking member is in said first compressed configuration, and said head not passable out of the aperture when said locking member is resiliently expanded to said second configuration, due to said locking member interfering in said second configuration with the smaller dimension of the curved inner profile;
said locking member further including a first end and a second end, said first end fixed within said circumferential groove, and said second end moveable to change a shape of said locking member from said first compressed configuration to said second relaxed configuration, said second end including a notch releasably engageable to maintain said locking member in said first compressed configuration.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said locking member further including a first end and a second end, said first end fixable within said groove, said second end moveable to change said locking member from said first configuration to said second configuration.

3. The method of claim 1 , further including a pin removably connectable with said head and insertable into a notch to engage said notch to maintain said locking member in said first compressed configuration, or removed from said notch to disengage said notch and enable said locking member to resiliently expand to said second dimension.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fastener head is a polyaxial fastener head.

5. The method of claim 1 , further includes the step of forming an aperture in an implant selected from the group consisting of bone plate, intervertebral spacer, and prosthetic device.

6. The method of claim 2 , further comprising the step of inserting an objection through an access portion of the fastener head to maintain said locking member in said first compressed configuration.

7. The method of claim 1 , further includes the step of forming two ends of the locking member, at least one of said ends forming a notch, said fastener further including a pin engageable with said head and said notch to maintain said locking member in said compressed configuration when said pin is engaged with said head and said notch.

8. The method of claim 1 , further includes engaging a pin head with a tool to insert or remove said pin from said notch.

9. The method of claim 1 , further includes the step of moving first end second ends of the locking member, said first and second ends moveable towards each other to form said first configuration of said locking member, and releasable to move away from each other to form said second configuration of said locking member.

10. The method of claim 1 , further includes locking member forming first and second ends, said first end fastened within said groove by a method selected from welding, brazing, adhesive, interference fit, and mating hook.

11. A method for stabilizing spinal elements comprising:
positioning an implant on spinal elements;
providing a fastener insertable within the implant, the fastener comprising:
an elongated body;
a head connected to said body and defining a curved profile corresponding with the curved inner profile of the implant, said head further including a groove disposed proximate the larger diameter of the curved inner profile of the implant when said head is mated with said implant; and
a partial ring forming first and second ends, said ring sized to be positionable partly within said circumferential groove to extend from said circumferential groove to thereby increase a widest diameter of said head, said ring formed with a resilient material, said ring resiliently expandable from a first compressed configuration having a first dimension to a second relaxed configuration having a second dimension, said second dimension larger than said first dimension, said second end including a notch releasable engageable to maintain said ring in said first compressed configuration,
said head passable into the aperture past the first diameter when said ring is assembled into said groove and said ring is in said first compressed configuration, and said head not passable back out of the aperture when said ring is resiliently expanded to said second configuration.

12. The method of claim 11 , further including a pin removably connectable with said head and insertable into said notch to engage said notch to maintain said ring in said first compressed configuration, or removed from said notch to disengage said notch and enable said ring to resiliently expand to said second dimension.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the implant is selected from the group consisting of bone plate, bone spacer, and prosthetic device.

14. The method of claim 11 , the fastener head further including an access port through which an object may be inserted to maintain said ring in said first compressed configuration.

15. The method of claim 11 , said fastener further including a pin engageable with said head and said notch to maintain said ring in said compressed configuration when said pin is engaged with said head and said notch.

16. The method of claim 15 , said pin further including a pin head engageable with a tool to insert or remove said pin from said notch.

17. The method of claim 11 , said ring forming first and second ends, said first end fastened within said groove by a method selected from welding, brazing, adhesive, interference fit, and mating hook.

18. A method for aligning and holding vertebrae in a fixed position with respect to one another, the method comprising:
positioning an implant adjacent to the vertebrae, the implant, comprising:
an implant body including an aperture having a curved inner profile defining a first dimension proximate an entrance to said aperture, and a second larger dimension further within said aperture; and
positioning a fastener through the aperture in the implant, the fastener having an elongated body said fastener further including a head connected to said body, said head defining a curved profile mateable with said curved inner profile of said implant, said head further including a circumferential groove disposable proximate said larger dimension of said curved inner profile of said implant when said head is mated with said implant;
a ring forming first and second ends, said ring sized to be positionable partly within said circumferential groove to extend from said circumferential groove to thereby increase a widest dimension of said head, said ring formed with a resilient material, said ring resiliently expandable from a first compre

Assignees

• Globus Medical Inc
• Globus Medical Inc

Inventors

• Black michael e

Classifications

• A61B17/7059

  Cortical plates (A61B17/7007, A61B17/7058 take precedence) · CPC title

• A61B17/8605

  Heads, i.e. proximal ends projecting from bone · CPC title

• A61B17/8685

  comprising multiple separate parts · CPC title

• A61B17/8047 Primary

  wherein the additional element surrounds the screw head in the plate hole (A61B17/8052 takes precedence) · CPC title