The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jan. 11, 2011
Filed:
Oct. 31, 2005
Shawn D. Stad, Fall River, MA (US);
Mark Gracia, Rochester, MA (US);
Shawn D. Stad, Fall River, MA (US);
Mark Gracia, Rochester, MA (US);
DePuy Spine, Inc., Raynham, MA (US);
Abstract
A surgical instrument for revising/removing an artificial disc or removing/replacing a core of an artificial disc includes a pair of tips, each tip having a pair of tines and a stop defining a proximal end of each tine. The stop of at least one tip is abutted against an interior surface of an implanted endplate of an artificial disc, whereby tines of the tip can support the artificial disc. The tip is separated from another, opposing tip, whereby opposing implanted endplates, each of which is supported by pairs of tines of a tip, are separated, thereby distracting vertebrae between which the endplates are implanted. Upon distracting the disc space, the core can be revised or removed from between the endplates of the artificial disc. Following core removal, the endplates of the artificial disc are revised (repositioned), removed or replaced.