Systems and techniques for restoring and maintaining intervertebral anatomy
Techniques and systems for distracting a spinal disc space and supporting adjacent vertebrae are provided. Trial instruments are insertable into the disc space to determine a desired disc space height and to select a corresponding implant. Implants can be also be self-distracting and the implant providing the desired disc space height can be implanted in the spinal disc space.
1. A kit, comprising:
a set of trial instruments, at least two of said trial instruments of said set having a trial body at a distal end thereof, each of said trial bodies having a leading end portion adapted for insertion in a collapsed spinal disc space and being insertable into the collapsed spinal disc space to provide a restored disc space height; and
a set of implants positionable in the spinal disc space, each of said implants including a body sized and shaped to correspond in size and shape to a respective one of said trial bodies of said trial instruments, each of said bodies having a leading end portion adapted for insertion in a collapsed spinal disc space and opposite vertebral endplate contacting surfaces convexly curved from said leading end portion to a proximal end wall of said body, wherein a desired one of said set of implants is selected for insertion into the spinal disc space upon an indication to the surgeon of a desired fit in the spinal disc space provided by the respective trial body.
2. The kit of claim 1 , wherein each leading end portion of said bodies of said implants includes a nose portion having the same height for each body in said set of implants.
3. The kit of claim 2 , wherein each leading end portion of said trial bodies includes a nose portion having the same height for each trial body in said set of trial instruments.
4. The kit of claim 3 , wherein said height of said nose portions is about 3 to 4 millimeters.
5. The kit of claim 3 , wherein said nose portion of each of said bodies of said implants and each of said trial bodies is rounded between an upper surface and a lower surface of said respective body of said implant and said trial body.
6. The kit of claim 5 , wherein each of said implant bodies and said trial bodies includes an upper transition surface and a lower transition surface along said leading end portion thereof tapering from said respective upper surface and said lower surface to said rounded nose portion thereof.
7. The kit of claim 6 , wherein said upper and lower transition surfaces are planar.
8. The kit of claim 6 , wherein said upper and lower transition surfaces are convexly curved.
9. The kit of claim 5 , wherein said nose portion of each of said trial bodies and each of said bodies of said implants is convexly curved in the direction between opposite lateral sidewalls of said respective trial body and said respective body of said implants.
10. The kit of claim 1 , where each of said bodies of said implants includes an upper surface orientable toward an endplate of an upper vertebra and a lower surface orientable toward an endplate of a lower vertebra, said body including a first height between said upper and lower surfaces corresponding to the restored disc space height.
11. The kit of claim 1 , wherein each of said trial bodies includes an upper surface and an opposite lower surface and said leading end portion includes a convexly curved nose extending between said upper and lower surfaces, wherein said upper and lower surfaces are also convexly curved along said respective trial body.
12. The kit of claim 11 , wherein each of said bodies of said implants includes an upper surface and an opposite lower surface and said leading end portion includes a convexly curved nose extending between said upper and lower surfaces.
13. The kit of claim 11 , wherein said nose of each of said trial bodies is convexly rounded between opposite lateral surfaces of said trial body, said lateral surfaces extending parallel to one another and between said upper and lower surfaces.
14. The kit of claim 1 , wherein each of said bodies of said implants includes an upper surface and an opposite lower surface and said leading end portion includes a convexly curved nose extending between said upper and lower surfaces.
15. The kit of claim 1 , wherein each of said bodies of said implants is releasably engageable to an insertion instrument and structured to post-operatively maintain the collapsed disc space at the restored disc space height.
16. A kit, comprising:
a set of trial instruments, at least two of said trial instruments of said set including an elongated trial body at a distal end thereof, each of said trial bodies including a leading end portion adapted for insertion in a spinal disc space, said trial bodies further each including convexly curved upper and lower surfaces defining a height to provide a restored disc space height when inserted in the spinal disc space, wherein each of said trial bodies further includes a leading end nose convexly rounded between said upper and lower surfaces; and
a set of implants positionable in the spinal disc space, each of said implants including an elongated body sized and shaped to correspond in size and shape to a respective one of said trial bodies of said trial instruments, each of said implant bodies including upper and lower surfaces and a leading end portion defining a convexly rounded nose extending between said upper and lower surfaces, said upper and lower surfaces being convexly curved from said leading end portion to a proximal wall of said implant body and defining a height corresponding to said height of a respective one of said trial bodies, wherein one of said implants is selected for insertion into the spinal disc space upon an indication to the surgeon of a desired fit in the spinal disc space provided by said respective trial body.
17. The kit of claim 16 , wherein:
said trial bodies each include opposite parallel lateral surfaces and said nose thereof is convexly rounded between said lateral surfaces; and
said implant bodies each include opposite parallel lateral surfaces and said nose thereof is convexly rounded in the direction between said lateral surfaces.
18. A kit, comprising:
a set of trial instruments, at least two of said trial instruments of said set including an elongated trial body at a distal end thereof, each of said trial bodies including a leading end portion adapted for insertion in a spinal disc space, said trial bodies further each including convexly curved upper and lower surfaces defining a height to provide a restored disc space height when inserted in the spinal disc space, wherein each of said trial bodies further includes opposite parallel lateral surfaces extending between said upper and lower surfaces and a leading end nose convexly rounded between said opposite lateral surfaces; and
a set of implants positionable in the spinal disc space, each of said implants including an elongated body sized and shaped to correspond in size and shape to a respective one of said trial bodies of said trial instruments, each of said implant bodies including convexly curved upper and lower surfaces defining a height corresponding to said height of a respective one of said trial bodies, said implant bodies further including opposite parallel lateral surfaces extending between said upper and lower surfaces and a leading end portion defining nose convexly rounded in the direction extending between said opposite lateral surfaces, wherein one of said implants is selected for insertion into the spinal disc space upon an indication to the surgeon of a desired fit in the spinal disc space provided by the respective trial body.
19. The kit of claim 18 , wherein:
said nose of each of said trial bodies is convexly rounded between said upper and lower surfaces; and
said nose of each of said implant bodies is convexly rounded between said upper and lower surfaces.
20. The kit of claim 18 , further comprising an elongated shaft extending proximally from each of said trial bodies and an inserter instrument removably engageable to respective ones of said implants.