Spine Wave, Inc.

Kara Michelle Faulkner

Edward Charles Skolnick

Thomas J Barbieri

Mary Elizabeth Stuart

An expandable sizer instrument for distracting and spacing opposing vertebral bodies of a spine comprises an elongate hollow shaft defining a longitudinal axis and having opposed distal and proximal ends. An actuator is provided at the proximal end and an expandable distractor is provided at the distal end. An elongate push rod extends within the shaft, a proximal end of the push rod being coupled to the actuator and a distal end being coupled to the expandable distractor. The distractor comprises a lower plate immovably attached to the shaft, and an upper plate coupled to the lower plate by a linkage mechanism fully contained within the perimeter of the distractor and operable to move the upper plate away from the lower plate in an expansion direction substantially parallel to the lower plate. The linkage mechanism comprises two laterally spaced linkage pairs with a middle link disposed therebetween.

Growing community of inventors

Shelton, CT, United States of America

Kara Michelle Faulkner