US 12,263,099 B2
Intervertebral disc implants and tooling
Rafail Zubok, Midland Park, NJ (US)
Assigned to Howmedica Osteonics Corp., Mahwah, NJ (US)
Filed by Howmedica Osteonics Corp., Mahwah, NJ (US)
Filed on Sep. 30, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/490,373.
Application 17/490,373 is a continuation of application No. 16/513,921, filed on Jul. 17, 2019, granted, now 11,160,671.
Application 16/513,921 is a continuation of application No. 14/708,959, filed on May 11, 2015, granted, now 10,398,572.
Application 14/708,959 is a continuation of application No. 12/442,181, abandoned, previously published as PCT/US2007/020562, filed on Sep. 21, 2007.
Claims priority of provisional application 60/846,196, filed on Sep. 21, 2006.
Prior Publication US 2022/0015927 A1, Jan. 20, 2022
Int. Cl. A61F 2/44 (2006.01); A61B 17/16 (2006.01); A61B 17/17 (2006.01); A61F 2/46 (2006.01); A61F 2/30 (2006.01)
CPC A61F 2/4611 (2013.01) [A61B 17/1604 (2013.01); A61B 17/1611 (2013.01); A61B 17/1671 (2013.01); A61B 17/1735 (2013.01); A61B 17/1757 (2013.01); A61F 2/442 (2013.01); A61F 2/4425 (2013.01); A61F 2/4684 (2013.01); A61F 2002/30301 (2013.01); A61F 2002/30616 (2013.01); A61F 2002/3071 (2013.01); A61F 2/30767 (2013.01); A61F 2002/3082 (2013.01); A61F 2002/30841 (2013.01); A61F 2002/30884 (2013.01); A61F 2002/30892 (2013.01); A61F 2002/30904 (2013.01); A61F 2002/4435 (2013.01); A61F 2002/449 (2013.01); A61F 2002/4627 (2013.01); A61F 2230/0095 (2013.01); A61F 2250/0087 (2013.01); A61F 2250/0089 (2013.01)] 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of performing spinal surgery, comprising:
preparing a disc space between first and second vertebral bodies;
attaching first and second elements of an artificial disc to an inserter head such that the inserter head holds together the first and second elements as a single implantable unit, wherein a straight resilient member of the inserter head causes at least one of the first and second elements to press against another portion of the inserter head;
after the attaching step, inserting a trailing end of the inserter head into a leading end of an inserter handle;
inserting the first and second elements of the artificial disc into the disc space such that the first element engages the first vertebral body and the second element engages the second vertebral body; and
disengaging the inserter head from the first and second elements so that they are free to move relative to each other.