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  Vertebral implant for promoting arthrodesis of the spineUSPTO Application #: 20070118220Title: Vertebral implant for promoting arthrodesis of the spine Abstract: A vertebral implant for impaction in a disc space to restore and/or maintain desired disc space height and spinal orientation is provided. The implant has an elongated basis body having a generally lens-shape provided by convex upper and lower surfaces. Bearing surfaces are provided on the cross-edge surfaces of the endwalls. Grooves are provided in the upper and lower surfaces positioned between the bearing surfaces. The implant can be prepared from a wide variety of materials including metallic materials, synthetic materials, polymeric materials, ceramic materials, and composite materials including reinforced materials i.e. glass, fiber, and/or carbon fiber reinforced materials (CFRP). (end of abstract) Agent: Krieg Devault LLP - Indianapolis, IN, US Inventors: Mingyan Liu, Hans-Joachim Fruh, Harald Ebner, Bradley T. Estes USPTO Applicaton #: 20070118220 - Class: 623017110 (USPTO) Related Patent Categories: Prosthesis (i.e., Artificial Body Members), Parts Thereof, Or Aids And Accessories Therefor, Implantable Prosthesis, Bone, Spine Bone The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070118220. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] The present application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/242,642 filed on Sep. 12, 2002, which is a continuation-in-part of PCT Application No. US/01/08073 filed on Mar. 14, 2001, which claims priority to German Utility Model Application 200 04 693.4, filed on Mar. 14, 2000, and all of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD [0002] This invention relates to an intervertebral implant for treatment of spinal deformities. More preferably, this invention is directed to a metallic or synthetic, intervertebral implant for implantation into a prepared disc space to facilitate spinal fusion, maintain desired disc space height, and/or spinal orientation. BACKGROUND [0003] For degenerated, diseased or otherwise damaged spinal columns and vertebrae, it is known to treat these defects by removal of all or a portion of the vertebral disc and inserting an implant such as a spinal implant to restore normal disc height and spine orientation, and repair the spinal defects. When desired, osteogenic material also can be implanted into the intervertebral space to enhance arthrodesis, or spinal fusion between the two vertebrae adjacent to the intervertebral space. Selected implants are formed to provide a cavity for receipt of the osteogenic material. [0004] The spinal column can exert considerable force on the individual vertebrae, and consequently also on any implant implanted in between the vertebrae. Often for defective or diseased vertebrae the bone tissue in the center of the endplate, where the vertebral body is normally only covered by a thin cortical bone layer, is weakened. The strength and integrity of the endplate may be compromised. Implants inserted in between these weakened bone tissue can subside or sink into the vertebral body. This results in a failure to maintain the desired disc space height and causes tremendous pain to the patient. [0005] Additionally, arthrodesis or fusion of the vertebrae adjacent is recommended to treat a damaged disc or diseased vertebra. Spinal implants typically are formed of a metal such as titanium or surgical steel. While the selection of the implant configuration and composition can depend upon a variety of considerations, for arthrodesis it is often desirable to select a material that does not stress shield the bone ingrowth. Titanium and surgical steel provide the requisite strength to maintain correct disc space height and orientation; however, some evidence exists that these materials may stress shield the bone. Bone and bone derived material can provide an acceptable material having the similar strength and compressibility as living bone tissue. However, suitable donor bone is scarce. Further, extensive screening and testing must be strictly performed to minimize any risk either real or perceived for the transmission of infections from the donor to the recipient. [0006] The following are representative of the current state of the art for the relevant technology. [0007] A vertebral implant is described in WO-95/08306 issued to Beckers (U.S. Pat. No. 5,888,224). Intervertebral implant comprises an elongated body formed of a titanium or titanium alloy material and having a shape that is basically lens-shaped with a width less than its height and provided with or without an internal cavity. Implantation of the implant requires distraction of the adjacent vertebral bodies, insertion of the implant, which is then rotated about its longitudinal axis. [0008] Another vertebral implant is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,834,757 issued to Brantigan. This vertebral implant has a parallelepiped shape and comprises an outer surface completely covered with nubs or barbs that are embedded into the channel cut into the endplates. [0009] An intervertebral implant is described in WO 96/27348 (U.S. Pat. No. 6,059,829) issued to Schlapfer et al.; the implant consists essentially of a frame about an internal cavity and includes longitudinal sidewalls having perforations therethrough. The frame is open without restriction on the top and bottom. The upper and lower surfaces are convex and join the longitudinal sidewalls and the two endwalls of the frame at sharp edges. [0010] Another implant that is described in FR 7/10664 issued to Liu et al. This metallic implant has upper and lower surfaces that include paired projections extending vertically from these surfaces for cutting into and piercing the cortical endplate in opposing intervertebral bodies without resting on soft cancellous bone. The upper and lower surfaces also include pairs of opposed bearing surfaces to contact the uncompromised cortical bone portion of vertebral bodies. [0011] In light of the aforementioned described problems for treating spinal defects, there is a continuing need for advancements in the relative field, including treatment of damaged or diseased spinal columns, improved implants, selection of suitable materials from which implants can be formed and methods of promoting bone fusion between the adjacent vertebrae. The present invention is such an advancement and provides a wide variety of benefits and advantages. SUMMARY [0012] The present invention relates to intervertebral implants, the manufacture and use thereof. Various aspects of the invention are novel, nonobvious, and provide various advantages. While the actual nature of the invention covered herein can only be determined with reference to the claims appended hereto, certain forms and features, which are characteristic of the preferred embodiment disclosed herein, are described briefly as follows. [0013] This invention provides an intervertebral implant or spacer for implantation into a prepared disc space. The intervertebral implant can be made of a metallic or a synthetic, non-metallic material, such as, a polymeric material, a ceramic material, or a reinforced composite. In one form, this intervertebral implant comprises an elongate body having an internal cavity. The cavity can serve as a depot for osteogenic material or spongioseum bone material to facilitate the spinal fusion of the vertebral bodies adjacent to the disc space. The implant body is bordered by two longitudinal walls or sidewalls and by two frontal or endwalls located opposite one another. Upper and lower surfaces extend laterally between the longitudinal walls. The upper and lower surfaces include openings into the inner cavity. Crosswise-extending edge surfaces of the endwalls and longitudinal walls surface define contact surfaces or bearing surfaces. [0014] In one preferred embodiment the opposite frontal walls or endwalls are formed to be thicker than the pair of opposite longitudinal walls, thereby widening the cross-edge extending surfaces. The cross-edge surfaces are preferably formed as integral parts of the opposing endwalls. [0015] In another form the present invention provides an intervertebral implant provided for implantation into a disc space between adjacent vertebrae. The implant comprises an elongate body defining a longitudinal axis and at least one tissue-receiving groove extending transverse to the longitudinal axis. The implant comprises: also includes: a cavity bounded by a first endwall and an opposite second endwall, the first endwall defining a first bearing surface and an opposite second bearing surface and the second endwall defining a third bearing surface and an opposite fourth bearing surface; an upper surface extending between the first endwall and the second endwall, the upper surface having an arcuate portion adapted to bear against an inferior endplate of a first vertebra; and an opposite lower surface extending between the first endwall and the second endwall, the lower surface having an arcuate portion adapted to bear against a superior endplate of a second vertebrae. In preferred embodiments the first and second endwalls have a first thickness measured along the longitudinal axis that is thicker than either the thickness of the longitudinal walls or the thickness of the upper and lower surfaces. [0016] In another form, the present invention provides an implant for promoting fusion between adjacent vertebra. The implant comprises: an elongate body defining a longitudinal axis and having an opening extending therethrough transverse to the longitudinal axis. The body comprises: a first supporting endwall terminating the body on a first end; an opposite second supporting endwall terminating the body on a second end, the first and second supporting endwalls positioned substantially transverse to the longitudinal axis and adapted to bear against cortical bone tissue in opposing endplates of the adjacent vertebrae, a first sidewall and an opposite second sidewall interconnecting the first supporting wall and the second supporting wall, wherein the body includes at least one tissue receiving groove extending from the first sidewall to the second sidewall. [0017] The preferred embodiments the intervertebral implant includes endwalls that are thicker than the longitudinal walls. (The endwalls terminate in cross-edge or peripheral surfaces extending transverse to the longitudinal walls. The peripheral surfaces are wider than the cross-edge surfaces of the longitudinal walls.) The peripheral surfaces provide wide contact or supporting surfaces for bearing against the cortical portions of the adjacent vertebral bodies such as found in and about the cortical ring or the apophyseal ring structure. Cortical bone tissue is either harder and/or denser than the cancelleous bone or spongioseum tissue that is found in the interior of the vertebrae. The harder cortical bone tissue provides sufficient strength to transmit the biomechanical forces exerted on the spinal column to the implant. The wide bearing surfaces or contact surfaces of the implant can withstand the biomechanical forces and inhibit subsidence of the implant into the vertebral bodies. This provides an implant that can safely and durably support the spinal column during normal and/or recommended patient activity. [0018] The longitudinal walls of the implant can be narrow in a cross-sectional dimension, measured transverse to the longitudinal axis. The implant can be fabricated to minimize the thickness of the longitudinal walls, yet still provide requisite compressive strength to maintain desired disc space height and orientation. This provides an implant having an enlarged cavity compared to implant having thicker longitudinal walls. The larger cavity is capable of receiving a greater amount of osteogenic material. This, in turn, provides increased success rate for spinal fusion and ultimately provides a stronger more stable bone bridge between the adjacent vertebrae. [0019] Since the wide, edge contact or bearing surface of the implant supports the majority of the biochemical forces exerted by the spinal column, it is possible to remove a portion of the cortical tissue from the endplates of the vertebra to reveal the cancelleous bone tissue or spongioseum tissue without adversely affecting the load bearing capability of the endplates. The implant can be placed within the disc space and provide intimate contact of the osteogenic material within the cavity and the exposed bone tissue of the opposing vertebrae. This provides the advantages of promoting arthrodesis of the vertebrae. [0020] Further, an integral implant design can be provided with minimal or no projections or protrusions extending from its exterior surfaces. In one embodiment, the outer surfaces of the endwalls are provided with a rounded shape or rounded-over edges. Additionally, the edges where the longitudinal walls meet the upper and lower surfaces can be chamfered, beveled or rounded. These edges provide advantages in that the resulting implant can be simply installed into the prepared disc space without danger of any projections, quarters, edges or the like tearing or gouging the surrounding tissue and therefore minimizes unintentional injuries to the adjacent tissue. Continue reading... Full patent description for Vertebral implant for promoting arthrodesis of the spine Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Vertebral implant for promoting arthrodesis of the spine patent application. Patent Applications in related categories: 20080167717 - Non-metallic implant devices and intra-operative methods for assembly and fixation - This invention relates to orthopedic implants and to methods of treating bone defects. More specifically, but not exclusively, the present invention is directed to non-metallic implants and to methods for intra-operative assembly and fixation of orthopedic implants to facilitate medical treatment. The non-metallic implant assembly can be secured to underlying ... ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. 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