Granted Patent B2

US 12,727,921 · App. 17/967,105 · Granted Sep 8, 2026

Inventor: Georges Legallois (Bordeaux, FR)

Assignee: LDR MEDICAL, S.A.S.

A61B17/7029A61B17/705A61B17/7053A61B17/707A61B2090/037

Abstract

Claims (43)

1 . A method for preventing fatigue phenomena in a spinal structure, the method comprising:

implanting a first bone anchor at a first location of the spinal structure to provide a rigid bone connection;

attaching the first bone anchor to a rod extending from a first connecting member;

attaching a support member to the first connecting member such that the support member is generally parallel to the rod, wherein the first connecting member has a first passage extending therethrough configured to receive a first portion of the support member, and wherein the first passage is offset from the rod;

attaching a first flexible member to the first connecting member, wherein the first flexible member is attached to the spinal structure at a second location and extends through a pair of openings formed in the first connecting member, and wherein the pair of openings communicate with the first passage;

attaching a second flexible member at a third location of the spinal structure, wherein the second flexible member is attached to a second connecting member;

implanting a second bone anchor at a fourth location of the spinal structure, wherein the second bone anchor is attached to the support member via the second connecting member; and

tensioning the first flexible member at the second location of the spinal structure to provide additional stability to the spinal structure.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein attaching the first flexible member to the first connecting member comprises clamping the first flexible member with a clamp of the first connecting member that is attached to the support member.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein tensioning the first flexible member the second location of the spinal structure comprises:

looping the first flexible member about the spinal structure at the second location;

pulling on end portions of the first flexible member; and

tightening the clamp to secure the first flexible member in tension.

4 . The method of claim 2 , wherein attaching the support member to the first bone anchor via the first connecting member comprises attaching the first bone anchor proximate an end of the support member via the first connecting member.

5 . The method of claim 2 , wherein tensioning the first flexible member at the second location of the spinal structure comprises tensioning the first flexible member about an adjacent vertebra of a vertebra to which the first bone anchor is implanted.

6 . The method of claim 5 , further comprising not rigidly fixing the adjacent vertebra to the support member.

7 . The method of claim 5 , further comprising tensioning the second flexible member at the third location of the spinal structure to provide additional stability to the spinal structure, wherein the third location of the spinal structure to which the second flexible member is attached is different from the second location of the spinal structure to which the first flexible member is attached.

8 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the adjacent vertebra is located alongside the support member and is spaced from the first bone anchor.

9 . The method of claim 5 , further comprising:

elastically supporting the adjacent vertebra with the first flexible member; and

supporting transient loads with the first bone anchor implanted in the vertebra.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first connecting member comprises first and second clamp members hingedly coupled together and configured to pivot relative to each other about a pivot axis.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the rod extends along the pivot axis.

12 . The method of claim 10 , wherein attaching the support member to the first connecting member comprises driving a screw in rotation through an orifice formed in the first clamp member.

13 . A system for supporting a spinal structure, the system comprising:

a rigid fixation system comprising:

a support member; and

a first bone fastener configured to rigidly couple the support member to the spinal structure; and

a first elastic fixation system comprising:

a first clamp mechanism including a first connecting member configured to attach to the support member via a support member passage formed through the first connecting member and configured to attach to the first bone fastener via a rod extending from the first connecting member and offset from the support member passage;

wherein when the support member is secured to the support member passage, the support member is generally parallel to the rod; and

a first flexible member inserted through an opening in the first connecting member having a communication with the support member passage and configured to elastically couple the first connecting member of the first clamp mechanism to the spinal structure, wherein one or more of the following is true:

(a) the support member is coupled to the first bone fastener through the first clamp mechanism, and

(b) the first clamp mechanism is configured to attach to an end of the support member.

14 . The system for supporting a spinal structure of claim 13 , wherein (a) is true.

15 . The system for supporting a spinal structure of claim 13 , wherein (b) is true.

16 . The system for supporting a spinal structure of claim 13 , wherein the first clamp mechanism is configured to position the first flexible member to couple to a first vertebra adjacent a second vertebra to which the first bone fastener is configured to couple.

17 . The system for supporting a spinal structure of claim 16 , wherein the first clamp mechanism is configured to clamp onto both the inserted first flexible member and the support member.

18 . The system for supporting a spinal structure of claim 13 , further comprising a second elastic fixation system comprising:

a second clamp mechanism including a second connecting member configured to attach to the support member of the rigid fixation system; and

a second flexible member inserted into the second clamp mechanism and configured to elastically couple the second connecting member of the second clamp mechanism to the spinal structure.

19 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the first connecting member comprises a main body; and

wherein the rod is integrally made with the main body.

Assignments (2)

Priority Claims (1)

Continuity (5)

References Cited (48)