Methods, materials and apparatus for treating bone and other tissue
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 method of treating a vertebra, comprising:
(a) inserting a delivery device into an interior of a vertebra, the delivery device having a delivery tip with a closed distal end and an aperture that directs the bone cement out of a first side of the delivery device;
(b) extruding bone cement through the aperture and into the bone, wherein the extruded bone cement has a curved shape and a degree of the curvature is controlled via a difference in friction between a proximal side and a distal side of the aperture.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the distal side of the aperture has a guided incline that extrudes the cement in the curved shape.
3. A method of treating a vertebra, comprising:
(a) inserting a delivery device into an interior of a vertebra, the delivery device having a delivery tip with a closed distal end and an aperture that directs the bone cement out of a first side of the delivery device;
(b) extruding bone cement through the aperture and into the bone, further comprising moving the delivery device axially during the extrusion of the cement.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein advancing a pusher through the delivery device toward the delivery tip extrudes the bone cement through the aperture.
5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the pusher is advanced without twisting.
6. The method of claim 3 , further comprising removing and replacing the delivery tip.
7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the delivery tip is replaced by rotating the delivery tip relative to the delivery device.
8. The method of claim 3 , wherein as a portion of the bone cement moves through the delivery tip, the portion of the bone cement has a curved shape.
9. A method of treating a vertebra, comprising:
(a) inserting a delivery device into an interior of a vertebra, the delivery device having a delivery tip with a closed distal end and an aperture that directs the bone cement out of a first side of the delivery device;
(b) extruding bone cement through the aperture and into the bone, further comprising rotating the delivery device during the extrusion of the cement.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the delivery device is manually rotated.
11. The method of claim 9 , wherein advancing a pusher through the delivery device toward the delivery tip extrudes the bone cement through the aperture.
12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the pusher is advanced without twisting.
13. The method of claim 9 , further comprising removing and replacing the delivery tip.
14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the delivery tip is replaced by rotating the delivery tip relative to the delivery device.
15. The method of claim 9 , wherein as a portion of the bone cement moves through the delivery tip, the portion of the bone cement has a curved shape.
16. A method of treating a vertebra, comprising:
(a) inserting a delivery device into an interior of a vertebra, the delivery device having a delivery tip with a closed distal end and an aperture that directs the bone cement out of a first side of the delivery device;
(b) extruding bone cement through the aperture and into the bone, further comprising coupling a vibrator to the delivery device prior to extruding the bone cement.
17. A method of treating a vertebra, comprising:
(a) inserting a delivery device into an interior of a vertebra, the delivery device having a delivery tip with a closed distal end and an aperture that directs the bone cement out of a first side of the delivery device;
(b) extruding bone cement through the aperture and into the bone, wherein the extruded bone cement is plastically deformed into a curved shape.
18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the extruded bone cement maintains the curved shape until it contacts bone.