Surgery – Instruments – Orthopedic instrumentation
Patent
1994-10-07
1996-10-08
Thaler, Michael H.
Surgery
Instruments
Orthopedic instrumentation
606 73, A61B 1770, A61B 1786
Patent
active
055626602
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
The invention relates to an apparatus for stiffening and/or correcting a part of the vertebral column consisting of at least two vertebrae, according to the precharacterizing clause in claim 1.
Apparatuses of this kind for stiffening and/or correcting a part of the vertebral column consisting of at least two vertebrae are known in the state of the art. Such an apparatus comprises at least two screw-like retaining devices, which can be appropriately fixed to one of the vertebrae in the affected part of the vertebral column. The retaining devices are provided to receive and hold in place a compression or distraction rod that connects the retaining devices to one another. This arrangement allows stiffening or so-called spondylodesis of individual parts of the vertebral column and/or correction in cases of spinal curvature (scoliosis, kyphosis), misalignment (rotation), injury (trauma), neoplasms (tumor) and in particular abrasion or degenerative spinal disease, according to the principle of osteosynthesis that is as rigid as possible and hence extremely stable mechanically.
The retaining devices in these apparatuses as a rule take the form of screws or so-called pedicle screws as well as hooks known per se, which can be connected to one another by way of a mechanically stable compression or distraction rod. An aspect of these apparatuses that has proved decidedly disadvantageous is the structure of the part that connects each retaining device to the compression or distraction rod. On the one hand, the height of the connecting part of these apparatuses is usually relatively great, which severely delays healing after surgery. On the other hand, various mechanical problems are encountered in assembling the apparatus, which both prevent permanent fixation and make it impossible to carry out corrective repositioning later on. Another disadvantage of these apparatuses is that they offer little or no opportunity to vary the length of the fixed region. Instead, different apparatuses must be used, some exclusively for short lengths and others exclusively for great lengths, and because they are not interchangeable their versatility in use is severely restricted. Furthermore, only a very limited force can be applied to these apparatuses, not least because of their construction, in order to correct misalignments of the affected part of the spine. Finally, all these apparatuses are also relatively expensive.
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
The invention is thus directed to the disclosing an apparatus of this generic kind for the stiffening and/or correction of a part of the vertebral column consisting of at least two vertebrae, which eliminates all the disadvantages of apparatuses known in the state of the art: in particular, the apparatus of this invention is very small in construction, enables permanent, non-self-releasing fixation and can be repositioned after the initial placement, is versatile in use and is able to sustain large forces.
This problem is solved by the characterizing features in claim 1.
By the construction in accordance with the invention, such that the compression or distraction rod comprises a rod-shaped connecting element that can be received by the retaining devices and at least one distance element, each of which is displaceably receivable by the rod-shaped connecting element and positioned between two adjacent retaining devices so as to determine the distance between these retaining devices, the connecting element being provided at one end with a screw thread and at the other end likewise with a screw thread or where appropriate with a flange-like thickening or the like to fix or brace the retaining devices and distance element, various advantages are achieved simultaneously. Not only is the structure compact, it also enables permanent fixation of the apparatus in accordance with the invention after the surgical operation, so that the retaining devices do not release themselves from the connecting element with the at least one distance element that compris
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Markow Scott B.
Plus Endoprothetik AG
Thaler Michael H.
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