US-12616586-B2 - Stabilized intervertebral spacer

US12616586B2US 12616586 B2US12616586 B2US 12616586B2US-12616586-B2

Abstract

A spacer for separating bones of a joint, the spacer includes a first endplate configured to engage a first bone of the joint; a second endplate configured to engage a second bone of the joint; tissue engaging projections, wherein the tissue engaging projections are moveable from a retracted position to a deployed position; and an actuation subassembly that extends between the first endplate and the second endplate, wherein the actuation subassembly comprise a drive nut, a drive screw coupled to the drive nut, and a cam frame coupled to the drive screw, wherein the cam frame is disposed between the first endplate and the second endplate to engage the tissue engaging projections.

Inventors

Kurt Faulhaber

Assignees

GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20240621

Claims (15)

1 . A method for separating bones of a joint, the method comprising: providing a spacer including: a first endplate configured to engage a first bone of the joint, a second endplate configured to engage a second bone of the joint, tissue engaging projections, wherein the tissue engaging projections each comprise an elongated body portion and a ridge that extends at angle with respect to the elongated body, and an actuation subassembly that extends between the first endplate and the second endplate; inserting the spacer between the first bone and the second bone of the joint; and advancing the actuation subassembly to deploy the tissue engaging projections into the first bone and the second bone, wherein the actuation subassembly includes a drive nut comprising a head portion and an extension from the head portion, wherein the extension is secured in a cutout formed by the first endplate and the second endplate.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the actuation subassembly further includes a drive screw comprising a threaded end that is threadingly coupled to a through bore of the drive nut.
3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the actuation subassembly further includes a cam frame comprising a proximal frame end, a distal frame end, and lateral frame sides.
4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein cam slots that engage the tissue engaging projections are formed in the lateral frame sides of the actuation subassembly.
5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the cam slots are at an angle with respect to a longitudinal axis of the spacer.
6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the drive screw is retained in an opening in the proximal frame end.
7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the tissue engaging projections are moveable from a retracted position to a deployed position.
8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the actuation subassembly is configured to engage the tissue engaging projections.
9 . A method for separating bones of a joint, the spacer comprising: providing a spacer including: a first endplate configured to engage a first bone of the joint; a second endplate configured to engage a second bone of the joint; tissue engaging projections, wherein the tissue engaging projections are moveable from a retracted position to a deployed position; and an actuation subassembly; inserting the spacer between the first bone and the second bone; and actuating the actuation assembly to deploy the tissue engaging projections into the first bone and the second bone, wherein the actuation subassembly includes a drive nut comprising a head portion and an extension from the head portion, wherein the extension is secured in a cutout formed by the first endplate and the second endplate.
10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the actuation subassembly further includes a drive screw comprising a threaded end that is threadingly coupled to a through bore of the drive nut.
11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the actuation subassembly further includes a cam frame comprising a proximal frame end, a distal frame end, and lateral frame sides.
12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein cam slots that engage the tissue engaging projections are formed in the lateral frame sides of the actuation subassembly.
13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the cam slots are at an angle with respect to a longitudinal axis of the spacer.
14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the drive screw is retained in an opening in the proximal frame end.
15 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the actuation subassembly is configured to engage the tissue engaging projections.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/563,470, filed Dec. 28, 2021 (published as U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2022-0117750), which is a U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/704,643, filed Dec. 5, 2019 (now U.S. Pat. No. 11,259,938), which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/613,710, filed on Jun. 5, 2017 (now U.S. Pat. No. 10,524,928), which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/969,376, filed Dec. 15, 2015 (abandoned), which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes. FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to stabilizing adjacent vertebrae of the spine by inserting an intervertebral spacer, and more particularly an intervertebral spacer that is stabilized. BACKGROUND The vertebral or spinal column (spine, backbone) is a flexible assembly of vertebrae stacked on top of each other extending from the skull to the pelvic bone which acts to support the axial skeleton and to protect the spinal cord and nerves. The vertebrae are anatomically organized into four generalized body regions identified as cervical, thoracic, lumbar, and sacral; the cervical region including the top of the spine beginning in the skull, the thoracic region spanning the torso, the lumbar region spanning the lower back, and the sacral region including the base of the spine ending with connection to the pelvic bone. With the exception of the first two cervical vertebrae, cushion-like discs separate adjacent vertebrae, i.e. intervertebral discs. The stability of the vertebral column during compression and movement is maintained by the intervertebral discs. Each disc includes a gel-like center surrounded by a fibrous ring. The gel-like center, i.e. nucleus pulposus, provides strength such that the disc can absorb and distribute external loads and contains a mixture of type II-collagen dispersed in a proteoglycan matrix. The fibrous ring, or annulus fibrosus, provides stability during motion and contains laminated rings of type-I collagen. Thus, the annulus fibrosis and the nucleus pulposus are interdependent, as the annulus fibrosis contains the nucleus pulposus in place and the nucleus pulposus aligns the annulus fibrosus to accept and distribute external loads. The integrity of the composition and structure of the intervertebral disc is necessary to maintain normal functioning of the intervertebral disc. Many factors can adversely alter the composition and structure of the intervertebral disc, such as normal physiological aging, mechanical injury/trauma, and/or disease, resulting in impairment or loss of disc function. For example, the content of proteoglycan n the nucleus pulposus declines with age, thus, it follows that the ability of the nucleus pulposus to absorb water concurrently declines. Therefore, in normal aging the disc progressively dehydrates, resulting in a decrease in disc height and possible de-lamination of the annulus fibrosus. Mechanical injury can tear the annulus fibrosis allowing the gel-like material of the nucleus pulposus to extrude into the spinal canal and compress neural elements. Growth of a spinal tumor can impinge upon the vertebrae and/or disc potentially compressing nerves. Bones of the spine, and bony structures, generally, are susceptible to a variety of weaknesses that can affect their ability to provide support and structure. Weaknesses in bony structures have numerous potential causes, including degenerative diseases, tumors, fractures, and dislocations. Advances in medicine and engineering have provided doctors with a plurality of devices and techniques for alleviating or curing these weaknesses. In some cases, the spinal column, in particular, requires additional support in order to address such weaknesses. One technique for providing support is to insert a spacer between adjacent vertebrae. SUMMARY In accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure, a spacer for separating bone of a joint may be provided. The spacer may comprise a first endplate configured to engage a first bone of the joint. The spacer may further comprise a second endplate configured to engage a second bone of the joint. The spacer may further comprise tissue engaging projections, wherein the tissue engaging projections are moveable from a retracted position to a deployed position. The spacer may further comprise an actuation subassembly that extends between the first endplate and the second endplate, wherein the actuation subassembly comprise a drive nut, a drive screw coupled to the drive nut, and a cam frame coupled to the drive screw, wherein the cam frame is disposed between the first endplate and the second endplate to engage the tissue engaging projections. In accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure, a method of separating bones of a joint may be provided. The method may comprise inserting a spacer between bones of the joint. The method may further comprise translating a cam