Abstract:
A balloon for use in compressing cancellous bone and marrow (also known as medullary bone or trabecular bone). The balloon comprises an inflatable balloon body for insertion into said bone. The body has a shape and size to compress at least a portion of the cancellous bone to form a cavity in the cancellous bone and/or to restore the original position of the outer cortical bone, if fractured or collapsed. The balloon desirably incorporates restraints which inhibit the balloon from applying excessive pressure to various regions of the cortical bone. The wall or walls of the balloon are such that proper inflation of the balloon body is achieved to provide for optimum compression of the bone marrow. The balloon can be inserted quickly into a bone. The balloon can be made to have a suction catheter. The balloon can be used to form and/or enlarge a cavity or passage in a bone, especially in, but not limited to, vertebral bodies. Various additional embodiments facilitate directionally biasing the inflation of the balloon.
Abstract:
Devices and methods compress cancellous bone. In one arrangement, the devices and methods make use of and expandable body that includes and internal restraint coupled to the body. The internal restraint directs expansion of the body. In one arrangement, a method for treating bone inserts the device having the internal restraint inside bone and causes directed expansion of the body in cancellous bone. Cancellous bone is compacted by the directed expansion.
Abstract:
Systems and methods provide for the fixation of osteoporotic and non-osteoporotic long bones, especially Colles' fractures. A cannula having a circumferential opening is inserted into cancellous bone and directed such that the circumferential opening faces the fracture. The cannula is further adapted to receive an expandable structure, the expandable structure being inserted through the cannula until it is in registration with the circumferential opening. The expandable structure is expanded through the circumferential opening into cancellous bone and toward the fracture. The expansion of the expandable structure through the circumferential opening toward the fracture causes compression of cancellous bone and moves fractured cortical bone, thus creating a cavity proximal to the fracture. The cavity is then filled with a flowable bone filling material and the material allowed to harden.
Abstract:
A filler instrument comprises a first chamber section having a first cross sectional area (615) and a second chamber section having a second cross sectional area (620) less than the first cross sectional area. The second chamber section communicates with the first chamber section. The first chamber section includes an inlet for receiving a material into the filler instrument, and the second chamber section includes an outlet for discharging the material from the filler instrument. A first plunger (705) is sized to pass through the first chamber section and not the second chamber section. A second plunger (755) is sized to pass through an interior bore of the first plunger and into the second chamber section. In use, the first plunger displaces material residing in the first chamber section through the second chamber section toward the outlet, and the second plunger displaces material residing in the second chamber section through the outlet.
Abstract:
Systems and methods treat at least two vertebral bodies in a spinal column. The systems and methods make use of first and second tool assemblies operable to treat an interior region of, respectively, a first vertebral body and a second vertebral body in the spinal column. The systems and methods provide directions for operating the first and second tool assemblies to treat the first and second vertebral bodies, at least for a portion of time.
Abstract:
Several embodiments of cutting tips (20, 120, 220, 300, 620, 720, 820)for tools for creating voids in interior body regions are provided. The cutting tips provide for rotational and translational cutting. An actuator mechanism (22, 150, 180A) for deploying a cutting tip converts the rotational movement of a wheel into translational movement of a plunger rod (156). The actuator mechanism provides positive cutting action as the cutting tip is moved from a first, non-deployed position to a second, deployed position and from the second, deployed position to the first, non-deployed position. Methods of creating a void in bone provide one or more mechanical cutting tools that may be used in combination with one or more expandable void-creating structures to form a void of a desired size and configuration.
Abstract:
A composite instrument is provided comprising a first functional instrument and a second functional instrument when the first functional instrument is coupled with the second functional instrument. A composite handle for the composite instrument is provided comprising a first handle and a second handle when the first handle is coupled with the second handle. The handle makes possible the reliable transmission, with increased mechanical advantage, of both torsional and longitudinal loads by the physician to the composite instrument, while resisting relative rotation between the first and second instruments.