Segmental tensioning of spinal tethers
Inventors
Hoernschemeyer, Daniel Gerard • Prygoski, Matthew • Tozakoglou, Evangelos
Assignees
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Publication Number
US-12185986-B2
Publication Date
2025-01-07
Expiration Date
Abstract
Implantable devices for dynamic interconnection between bones, and especially between vertebrae. The devices provide for various types of manipulation of a flexible connection such as a tether, such as by providing an aperture through which the flexible connection is passed and guided, or a post to which a loop of the flexible connection can be attached, or a groove in which a loop of the flexible connection can be placed.
Core Innovation
Implantable spinal tethering systems for flexibly connecting vertebrae are described, including modular vertebral tethering members with tethering heads and flexible connectors that are routed and retained across vertebrae. Guiding heads have enclosed multi-passageways with an entrance and an exit to direct tether loops through openings and exit paths, including V-shaped or barbell/figure-8 passageways. Smooth contoured convex features and rounded surfaces on the guiding heads are described to minimize abrasion and control the routing of tether loops.
Tethering heads further include hitching/loop-retaining heads and peripheral groove-based tether heads for capturing tether loops and providing controlled tension/compression behavior. Hitching structures include slots and overhanging posts with grooves that capture tether loops and discourage unwanted vertical movement under tension. Peripheral groove arrangements are described as single or paired grooves to provide tension in different directions and to support independent or combinable loop constructs across multiple vertebrae.
Modular connection modules include separable receivers and alignment features that capture and align flexible-connector passageways within a receiving pocket for modular assembly. Example configurations connect adjacent vertebrae using one or multiple tether/suture loops, including arrangements that enable directional and rotational torque/derotation effects, while also allowing specific tethering heads to be left untethered from others in a multi-head arrangement.
Claims Coverage
The document contains one independent claim. It describes a method for flexibly connecting vertebrae using multiple tethering heads, multiple flexible members placed in grooves on those heads, selected tethering connections between specific tethering head pairs, and leaving at least one tethering head untethered from another.
Multi-head tethering configuration with selective connections
Attaching a first tethering head and a second tethering head to a first vertebra spaced apart, attaching a third tethering head and a fourth tethering head to a second vertebra spaced apart, attaching a fifth tethering head to a third vertebra, and tethering selected head pairs with respective flexible members while leaving the first tethering head untethered from the fourth tethering head.
Groove-based placement of flexible members on tethering heads
Placing a first flexible member in a first groove in the first tethering head, placing a second flexible member in a second groove in the second tethering head, placing a third flexible member in a third groove in the third tethering head, and placing a fourth flexible member in a fourth groove in the fourth tethering head.
Pairwise vertebra connections using respective flexible members
Connecting the first vertebra to the second vertebra by tethering the first tethering head to the third tethering head with the first flexible member and tethering the second tethering head to the third tethering head with the second flexible member, and connecting the second vertebra to the third vertebra by tethering the third tethering head to the fifth tethering head with the third flexible member and tethering the fourth tethering head to the fifth tethering head with the fourth flexible member.
The inventive coverage centers on a multi-tether-head arrangement on vertebrae, groove-based placement of multiple flexible members, and selective tethering between specific tethering head pairs to connect vertebral segments while leaving a specified tethering head untethered from another.
Stated Advantages
Documented Applications
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