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EP0042271B1 Expired / Lapsed EP ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Intervertebral disc prosthesis

Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1981-06-12
•
Granted: 1984-09-05
•
Expires: 2001-06-12
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Abstract

No abstract record available.

Inventors

  • 👤 David J. Kuntz

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction EP
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-10-25 20:30
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61F; A61F2/00; A61F2/02; A61F2/30; A61F2/44; A61F2/4455; A61F2/442; A61F2/4425; A61F2/46; A61F2/4603; A61F2/4611; A61F2/30721; A61F2/30724; A61F2/28; A61F2002/2835; A61F2002/30001; A61F2002/30003; A61F2002/3006; A61F2002/3008; A61F2002/30108; A61F2002/30199; A61F2002/30261; A61F2002/30316; A61F2002/30535; A61F2002/30574; A61F2/30767; A61F2/30771; A61F2002/30795; A61F2002/30797; A61F2002/3082; A61F2002/4619; A61F2230/00; A61F2230/0063; A61F2230/0082; A61F2250/00; A61F2250/0058; A61F2250/0096; A61F2250/0098; A61F2310/00; A61F2310/00005; A61F2310/00011; A61F2310/00017; A61F2310/00029

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 17
Claim 1
Independent Claim 112 words
An intervertebral disc prosthesis (10) comprising a body of biologically compatible material having a superior surface (11), an inferior surface (12), opposed lateral surfaces and opposed anterior and posterior ends characterised in that said body is made of material that resists compression or flexing sufficiently to maintain a desired intervertebral spacing; each of said superior surface and inferior surface is flat or slightly convex in the lateral-lateral direction over the entirety of said surfaces and, in the anterior-posterior direction, is flat or slightly convex; and means (15, 301) are located at one of said opposed anterior and posterior ends for facilitating holding of the prosthesis during its insertion into the disc space.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 112 words
An intervertebral disc prosthesis (10) comprising a body of biologically compatible material having a superior surface (11), an inferior surface (12), opposed lateral surfaces and opposed anterior and posterior ends characterised in that said body is made of material that resists compression or flexing sufficiently to maintain a desired intervertebral spacing; each of said superior surface and inferior surface is flat or slightly convex in the lateral-lateral direction over the entirety of said surfaces and, in the anterior-posterior direction, is flat or slightly convex; and means (15, 301) are located at one of said opposed anterior and posterior ends for facilitating holding of the prosthesis during its insertion into the disc space.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 22 words
A prosthesis according to claim 1 characterised in that the inferior surface (12) of the prosthesis (10) is planar or almost planar.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 23 words
A prosthesis according to claim 1 or claim 2 characterised in that the superior surface (11) of the prosthesis (10) is slightly convex.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 41 words
A prosthesis according to any preceding claim characterised in that said holding means comprises a raised flange (15) on said body at said one end projecting from at least one of said superior and inferior surfaces (11, 12) at said end.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 35 words
A prosthesis according to any of claims 1 to 3 characterised in that said holding means comprises a hole (301) extending into said body at one of said opposed ends for receiving a holding instrument.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 20 words
A prosthesis according to claim 5 characterised in that means are provided within said hole for detachably securing said instrument.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim 31 words
A prosthesis according to claim 6 characterised in that said means for detachably securing said instrument comprises a screw thread intended to engage a corresponding thread provided on the holding instrument.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim 43 words
A prosthesis according to any preceding claim characterised in that at least one of said superior and inferior surfaces has surface characteristics (13) for increasing friction between said surface and said adjacent vertebral surface when the prosthesis is implanted within the disc space.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim 28 words
A prosthesis according to claim 8 characterised in that said surface characteristics are selected from grooves (13), projections and corrugations generally parallel to said anterior and posterior ends.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim 30 words
A prosthesis according to any preceding claim characterised in that the other of said anterior and posterior ends is wedge-shaped to facilitate insertion of the prosthesis into the disc space.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim 35 words
A prosthesis according to any preceding claim characterised in that said body includes two components (101 A, 101 B) separated from each other along a superior-inferior plane extending between said opposed anterior and posterior ends.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim 67 words
A prosthesis according to any of claims 1 to 10 characterised in that said body includes two components (200A, 200B), one of said components defining the superior surface and the other of said components defining said inferior surface, the components being mutually pivotally connected (208,210) to permit limited variations of the orientation of said superior and inferior surfaces with respect to each other in the anterior-posterior direction.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim 39 words
A prosthesis according to claim 12 characterised in that said pivotal connection of the components is provided by a hemispherical projection (208) from one of said components engageable with a hemispherical depression (210) in the other of said components.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim 30 words
A prosthesis according to claim 12 or 13 characterised in that one of said components (200A, 200B) is made of metal and the other is made of a rigid polymer.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim 28 words
1 5. A prosthesis according to any preceding claim characterised in that the body material is selected from high density polyethylene, polymethylmethacrylate, stainless steel and chrome cobalt alloys.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim 15 words
A prosthesis according to any preceding claim characterised in that the body material is non-porous.

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