Methods, materials and apparatus for treating bone and other tissue
View Patent ↗A method of treating a vertebra, comprising: (a) accessing an interior of a vertebra; and (b) introducing a sufficient amount of artificial biocompatible material which does not set to a hardened condition in storage, into said bone, with sufficient force to move apart fractured portions of said bone.
1. A composite tool for accessing bone, comprising:
an elongate body, having:
a head having a distal tip configured to penetrate bone, the head being disposed on a distal end of the elongate body;
at least one aperture formed in a sidewall of the elongate body proximal to the distal end and being configured to extrude material radially therethrough and into bone;
a lumen adapted to deliver material to the aperture; and
a guidewire channel formed within at least a portion of the elongate body;
wherein the guidewire channel is collapsible in response to pressurizing material to be delivered through the lumen.
2. The tool according to claim 1 , further comprising a source of material under pressure coupled to a proximal portion of the elongate body for delivering the material into the lumen.
3. The tool according to claim 2 , wherein the source of material is a hydraulic source.
4. The tool according to claim 2 , wherein the material comprises at least one material adapted to function in a capacity other than as a structural support.
5. The tool according to claim 1 , wherein the elongate body and the head are integrally formed.
6. The tool according to claim 2 , wherein the pressure is at least 40 atmospheres.
7. The tool according to claim 2 , wherein the pressure is at least 100 atmospheres.
8. The tool according to claim 1 , wherein the elongate body comprises a plurality of extrusion apertures formed in a sidewall thereof adapted to extrude material into bone.
9. The tool according to claim 2 , wherein the material comprises PMMA bone cement.
10. The tool according to claim 9 , wherein when the material is delivered into the lumen of the elongate body, the material has a viscosity between 600 and 1800 Pascal-seconds for at least 5 minutes.
11. The tool according to claim 1 , further comprising a source of material under pressure coupled to a proximal portion of the elongate body, the material comprising PMMA bone cement.
12. The tool according to claim 11 , wherein when the material is delivered into the lumen of the elongate body, the material has a viscosity between 600 and 1800 Pascal-seconds for at least 5 minutes.