Spinal implant and method of use

摘要

A spinal implant having a series of sections or units hinged together and a balloon connected to at least some of the sections, the balloon having a curved configuration. The implant has a first delivery configuration and a second curved placement configuration, wherein it has a more linear configuration in the first delivery configuration than in the second curved configuration. The implant assumes the first delivery configuration during delivery to the disc space and maintains the curved configuration after placement within the disc space. The curved configuration can result from filling or expanding the balloon.

主权项

1. A method of minimally invasively inserting a spinal implant in a disc space comprising:
minimally invasively inserting through a cannula a disc nucleus removal device; remotely operating the disc nucleus removal device to remove a disc nucleus; removing the disc nucleus removal device from the disc space; providing a delivery instrument having a spinal implant having a plurality of linked sections and a support strip attached to the linked sections and a balloon; minimally invasively inserting the delivery instrument containing the spinal implant in a first substantially straighter configuration; advancing the delivery instrument to the disc space; exposing the implant from the delivery instrument to position the implant in the disc space, wherein upon exposing the implant, the implant moves to assume a more curved configuration within the disc space; removing the delivery instrument and leaving the implant in place along a periphery of the disc space; and expanding the balloon when positioned in the disc space, wherein the step of expanding the balloon expands the linked sections in a direction transverse to a plane of the disc space.