To provide a device for maintaining and reinforcing a proper intervertebral disc space when an intervertebral prosthesis is introduced into a cavity in the intervertebral disc space.
A device and method are provided for maintaining a proper intervertebral disc height during the replacement or augmentation of the spinal disc. In one embodiment, a cannulated distractor 10 is used to distract the adjacent vertebrae and maintain a proper disc space height. The cannulated distractor 10 is fluidly connected to a source of fluent material for injection into the disc space. The distraction member includes a distraction tip 18 resident within the intervertebral disc space that includes a central lumen and a number of openings 30, 32 communicating with the lumen to dispense the fluent material within the disc space.
UPTON MAUREEN L
Tadashi Masui
Yasushi Kobayashi
Akio Chiba
Hiroyuki Tomita