Devices, compositions and methods for bone and tissue augmentation

1. A method of treating a lesion or fracture in bone tissue, comprising:

(a) providing a polymer composition comprising a side chain crystallizable polymer, wherein:

(i) the polymer composition has a solid state when within a first temperature range, the first temperature range selected to substantially correspond to temperatures generally found in anatomical bone structures of living mammals, the solid state having mechanical properties suitable for supporting and/or augmenting a bone lesion or fracture;

(ii) the polymer composition has a second transition temperature range, the second transition temperature range being above the first temperature range; and

(iii) the polymer composition has an extrudable fluid state when in a third temperature range, the third temperature range being above the second temperature range; the third temperature range selected to correspond to therapeutically acceptable temperatures for the bone tissue being treated, the extrudable fluid state in the third temperature range having a viscosity sufficiently low to permit injection into the bone tissue being treated;

(b) providing a polymer delivery system operatively configured to heat a quantity of the polymer composition to the extrudable fluid state within the third temperature range and operatively configured to inject the resulting fluid polymer composition into the bone tissue being treated;

(c) administering the fluid polymer composition by operating the polymer delivery system so as to inject the fluid polymer composition at least partially into the bone tissue being treated; and

(d) transforming the resulting injected fluid polymer composition to the polymer composition in the solid state by permitting cooling of the injected fluid polymer composition from within the third temperature range to within the first temperature range so as to configure the resulting solid polymer composition to provide support and/or augmentation to the bone lesion or fracture being treated.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the lesion or fracture is a compression fracture, and wherein administering the fluid polymer composition by operating the polymer delivery system so as to inject the fluid polymer composition at least partially into the bone tissue being treated comprises injecting the fluid polymer composition so as to recover the effective volume of the bone tissue by exerting an expansion force.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the bone tissue comprises at least a portion of a vertebral body and wherein the recovery of the effective volume of the bone tissue comprises recovery of an effective height of the vertebral body.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

(e) prior to step (c), inserting a prosthesis at least partially into the bone tissue being treated;

wherein step (c) comprises at least partially encapsulating the prosthesis within the fluid polymer composition being injected; and

wherein step (d) comprises providing at least part of the support and/or augmentation to the bone lesion or fracture being treated by configuring the solid polymer composition to provide at least one of support, fixation and/or isolation of the prosthesis within the bone tissue being treated.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

(e) prior to step (c), inserting a prosthesis at least partially into the bone tissue being treated, wherein the prosthesis has an internal void;

wherein step (c) comprises at least partially filing the internal void of the prosthesis with the fluid polymer composition being injected; and

wherein step (d) comprises providing at least part of the support and/or augmentation to the bone lesion or fracture being treated by configuring the solid polymer composition to provide support in the void of the prosthesis within the bone tissue being treated.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

(e) prior to step (c), inserting a prosthesis at least partially into the bone tissue being treated, the prosthesis comprising an internal portion capable of being inflated to create an internal inflation volume; and

wherein step (c) comprises one or more of:

(i) inflating the internal portion by injecting the fluid polymer composition to create the internal inflation volume;

(ii) inflating the internal portion to create the inflation volume independently of the injection of the fluid polymer composition, and

(iii) at least partially filling the inflation volume with the fluid polymer composition; and

wherein step (d) comprises providing at least part of the support and/or augmentation to the bone lesion or fracture being treated by configuring the solid polymer composition to provide support in the internal inflation volume of the prosthesis within the bone tissue being treated.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the bone tissue comprises at least a portion of a vertebral body and wherein the prosthesis is inserted at least partially within the vertebral body.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the fracture or lesion is a compression fracture, and wherein the inflation of the inflatable portion of the prosthesis is carried out so as to recover effective height of the vertebral body by exerting an expansion force.

9. A method of performing a kyphoplasty procedure on a vertebral body, comprising:

(a) inserting an inflatable balloon kyphoplasty device into the vertebral body;

(b) inflating the balloon kyphoplasty device so as to create an expansion void within the vertebral body and/or so as to recover effective height of the vertebral body by exerting an expansion force;

(c) providing a polymer composition comprising a side chain crystallizable polymer, wherein:

(i) the polymer composition has a solid state when within a first temperature range, the first temperature range selected to substantially correspond to temperatures generally found in anatomical bone structures of living mammals, the solid state having mechanical properties suitable for supporting and/or augmenting a bone lesion or fracture;

(ii) the polymer composition has a second transition temperature range, the second transition temperature range being above the first temperature range; and

(iii) the polymer composition has an extrudable fluid state when in a third temperature range, the third temperature range being above the second temperature range; the third temperature range selected to correspond to therapeutically acceptable temperatures for the bone tissue being treated, the extrudable fluid state in the third temperature range having a viscosity sufficiently low to permit injection into the bone tissue being treated;

(d) providing a polymer delivery system operatively configured to heat a quantity of the polymer composition to the extrudable fluid state within the third temperature range and operatively configured to inject the resulting fluid polymer composition into the expansion void in the vertebral body;

(e) administering the fluid polymer composition by operating the polymer delivery system so as to inject the fluid polymer composition into at least a portion of the expansion void in the vertebral body; and

(f) transforming the resulting injected fluid polymer composition to the polymer composition in the solid state by permitting cooling of the injected fluid polymer composition from within the third temperature range to within the first temperature range so as to configure the resulting solid polymer composition to provide support to prevent collapse of the all or a portion of the expansion void in the vertebral body.