Intervertebral prosthesis for supporting adjacent vertebral bodies enabling the creation of soft fusion and method

1. An intervertebral prosthesis comprising:

a) an interbody disc having upper and lower surfaces for engaging the faces of adjacent vertebral bodies between which a natural disc has been partially or wholly removed, an exterior wall and one or more generally vertically oriented continuous or discontinuous bone channels of limited cross-sectional area to enable bone to form and fuse into one or more continuous or discontinuous struts between the vertebral bodies;

b) the disc having a stiffness sufficient to support the vertebral bodies in their natural spaced relationship while allowing limited motion and being flexible enough when subjected to a predetermined load to alter the distance between the vertebrae engaging surfaces and transfer sufficient energy to the bone strut(s) to create one or more conditions of nonunion joints or pseudoarthrosis at locations along the strut(s); and

c) the disc being further arranged to limit the movement thereof to an amount which is sustainable by the disc without resulting in fatigue failure during an anticipated life span, wherein the stiffness of the disc is within the range of about 50 to 4000 N/mm, wherein the total cross-sectional area of the bone channel(s) is about 35% or less of the total area of one of the disc vertebral body engaging faces,

wherein the disc includes upper and lower rings separated by a partial ring joined to the upper and lower rings by a bridged portion defining a serpentine slot extending between the rings and an inner tubular appendage supported by one or both of the upper and lower rings, the appendage defining the bone channel(s), the disc further including cooperating means located on the upper and lower rings to limit the axial travel of the disc, the serpentine slot accommodating the infusion of soft tissue therein,

wherein the tubular appendage comprises one or more downwardly extending tubular posts carried by the upper ring and cooperating upwardly extending nipple(s) carried by the lower ring, the post(s) and nipple(s) providing the means to limit the axial travel of the disc.

2. An intervertebral prosthesis comprising:

a) an interbody disc having upper and lower surfaces for engaging the faces of adjacent vertebral bodies between which a natural disc has been partially or wholly removed, an exterior wall and one or more generally vertically oriented continuous or discontinuous bone channels of limited cross-sectional area to enable bone to form and fuse into one or more continuous or discontinuous struts between the vertebral bodies;

b) the disc having a stiffness sufficient to support the bodies in their natural spaced relationship while allowing limited motion and being flexible enough when subjected to a predetermined load to alter the distance between the vertebrae engaging surfaces and transfer sufficient energy to the bone strut(s) to create one or more conditions of nonunion joints or pseudoarthrosis at locations along the strut(s); and

c) the disc being further arranged to limit the movement thereof to an amount which is sustainable by the disc without resulting in fatigue failure during an anticipated life span, wherein the stiffness of the disc is within the range of about 50 to 4000 N/mm, wherein the total cross-sectional area of the bone channel(s) is about 35% or less of the total area of one of the disc vertebral body engaging faces,

wherein the disc includes upper and lower rings separated by a partial ring joined to the upper and lower rings by a bridged portion defining a serpentine slot extending between the rings and an inner tubular appendage supported by one or both of the upper and lower rings, the appendage defining the bone channel(s), the disc further including cooperating means located on the upper and lower rings to limit the axial travel of the disc, the serpentine slot accommodating the infusion of soft tissue therein,

wherein the tubular appendage comprises one or more downwardly extending tubular posts carried by the upper ring and cooperating upwardly extending nipple(s) carried by the lower ring, the post(s) and nipple(s) providing the means to limit the axial travel of the disc.

3. An intervertebral prosthesis for supporting vertebral bodies between which a natural disc has been partially or wholly removed comprising:

a) an interbody disc having

an upper ring having an upper surface and a lower ring having a lower surface;

a first annular plate having a first lip extending around a full outer circumference thereof, said first lip being joined to said upper ring around a full circumference thereof, creating an internal slot extending around a full internal circumference of said first lip;

a second annular plate having a second lip extending around a full inner circumference thereof, said second annular plate being joined to said first annular plate around a full inner circumference thereof, creating an external slot extending around a full external circumference of said second lip, the second annular plate being joined to the lower ring;

the rings encompassing one or more continuous or discontinuous internal bone channels of limited cross-sectional area between the upper and lower surfaces to enable bone to form and fuse into one or more continuous or discontinuous struts between the separated vertebral bodies, wherein at least one of said plates has a flexure slot therein, said flexure slot puncturing through said plate from a first plate surface to an opposed plate surface and following a curved path along said plate.

4. The prosthesis of claim 3 wherein the stiffness of the disc is within the range of about 200 to 1500 N/mm.

5. An interbody hybrid spacer comprising:

a support structure formed with upper and lower surfaces adapted to engage the faces of and support adjacent upper and lower vertebrae in a desired spatial relationship while allowing limited movement along and about the longitudinal axis of the supported vertebrae, the support structure having an exterior wall extending between the upper and lower surfaces and one or more centrally disposed generally vertically oriented bone accommodating openings and a plurality of interleaved thin tissue channels for accommodating the infusion of soft tissue therein with certain of the channels extending from a peripheral wall to a location adjacent the central opening(s), but not into the opening(s), the remaining channels extending from and in fluid communication with the central opening(s) to a location adjacent to, but not through, the exterior wall,

wherein the tissue channels are planar and extend generally at a right angle to the longitudinal axis, further including stop means for limiting the compression of the support structure along the longitudinal axis without completely closing the channels to accommodate lateral bending action, wherein the stop means comprises a narrowing of the remaining channels adjacent the central opening(s), and

further including a plate partially obstructing the bone accommodating opening(s) to limit the dimensions of bone material allowed to grow between the supported vertebrae to provide soft fusion.

6. An interbody hybrid spacer for supporting adjacent vertebral bodies between which a natural disc has been partially or fully removed comprising:

a) an upper and lower section;

b) the upper section having a top surface for engaging the face of the upper vertebrae, an outer wall extending continuously from the upper section to the lower section, an inner wall extending continuously from the upper section to the lower section, forming a ring-shaped inner cavity therebetween, the inner wall surrounding an open core the inner and outer walls having a helical slot extending through the inner and outer walls;

c) the lower section being joined to the lower end of the upper section and being formed with an upwardly extending annular post extending into the ring-shaped inner cavity; and

d) the helical slot forming inner and outer springs in the inner and outer walls of the upper section, respectively, wherein the inner spring extends continuously from the upper section to the lower section and the outer spring extends continuously from the upper section to the lower section.

7. The spacer of claim 6 wherein the lower section post is arranged to abut the upper end of the cavity to limit the compression of the upper section without completely closing the helical slot.

8. An interbody hybrid spacer for maintaining adjacent vertebrae in a desired spaced relationship after a natural disc therebetween has been removed comprising:

a) an inner section in the form of a cylinder with a central opening, the cylinder having a spiral slot therein;

b) an outer section having upper and lower portions secured to the exterior wall of the inner section and forming a toroidal opening therein, said toroidal opening extending into an outside of the outer section and encircling the outside of the outer section; and

c) a stop-ring disposed in the toroidal opening with sufficient clearance therein to allow limited flexure and compression of the inner section.

9. An interbody hybrid spacer for supporting adjacent vertebral bodies between which a natural disc has been partially or fully removed comprising:

a) an upper and lower section; b) the upper section, in the form of a cylindrical hub, having an open central core to accommodate bone fusion therein and an outer surface, the hub extending upwardly from a bottom to an outwardly extending flanged head portion terminating in a rim, the flanged head portion having a lower surface;

b) the lower section joined to the bottom of the upper section and having an annular post extending upwardly adjacent the outer surface of the upper section to a location just below the lower surface of the flanged head of the upper section; and

c) a spiral slot formed in the cylindrical hub of the upper section for accommodating soft tissue ingrowth and allowing limited articulation of the spacer, the annular post being arranged to engage the lower surface of the flanged head when the spacer is subjected to excessive loads.

10. An intervertebral prosthesis comprising:

an interbody device, said interbody device having an upper surface and an opposed lower surface for engaging faces of adjacent vertebral bodies between which a natural disc has been partially or wholly removed, the interbody device having a wall extending between said upper surface and said lower surface, said wall having a perimeter defining a first wall portion and a second wall portion opposed to said first wall portion,

having a central hole through said interbody device, said central hole connecting said upper surface and said lower surface,

having at least a first slit originating at said first wall portion and extending inward in a generally horizontal direction stopping before reaching said second wall portion,

having at least a second slit originating at said second wall portion and extending inward in a generally horizontal direction stopping before reaching said first wall portion, said first slit and said second slit not intersecting each other,

wherein said central hole intersects said first slit and said second slit,

wherein said upper surface and said lower surface have a perimeter shape comprising a first end region, a second end region opposed to said first end region, and a middle region located between said first end region and said second end region, wherein said middle region is narrower in a transverse direction than either said first end region or said second end region.

11. The intervertebral prosthesis of claim 10 , wherein said central hole, in a cross-section in a plane perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of said central hole, is elongated having a longer dimension and a shorter dimension transverse to said longer dimension.

12. The intervertebral prosthesis of claim 11 , wherein said longer dimension of said central hole is at least approximately coincident with a longer dimension of said upper surface of said interbody device.

13. The intervertebral prosthesis of claim 10 , wherein said middle region comprises a first indentation on a first side of said upper surface and a second indentation on a second opposed side of said upper surface.

14. The intervertebral prosthesis of claim 10 , further comprising a keel protruding from said upper surface or said lower surface of said interbody device.

15. The intervertebral prosthesis of claim 10 , wherein said central hole has a cross-sectional area that is about 35% or less of the total area of said upper surface or said lower surface.

16. The intervertebral prosthesis of claim 10 , wherein said upper surface or said lower surface has symmetry with respect to at least one plane of symmetry.