METHOD AND ROD SYSTEM FOR PERFORMING SURGICAL CORRECTION AND STABILIZATION OF THE VERTEBRAL COLUMN Russian patent published in 1997 - IPC

FIELD: medicine. SUBSTANCE: method involves placing biologically neutral metal rods of predefined curvature provided with axial fixing members on both sides of spinous processes, fastening the members to the injured site of the vertebral column, drilling through holes in bases of spinous processes, fixing each vertebra with wire brought through the corresponding hole and attaching the wire to a rod by bending each wire segment as a whole loop in its center and putting it over the rod and bringing the both ends through the hole. Then the ends are to be taken apart and placed on both sides of another rod pulling them so that both rods fix spatial position of each vertebra. The wire ends are fixed by twisting. Fastening operation is carried out beginning from the vertebra at the top of deformity arc repeating the procedure in fastening the following vertebrae one after another to the rods. To apply axial tension, the loop and twisted ends are arranged 1-3 fixing members closer to rod ends. To create axial compression, the loop and twisted ends are arranged 1-3 fixing members closer to the middle of the rod. The device has rods, axial fixing members, flexible fastening ties. The axial fixing members are pairs of members, being regular set of thickenings on the rods and wire loops embracing the rods. Thickenings diameter is 6-8 mm, recesses diameter is 3-5 mm with pitch equal to 0.3-1.0 of one vertebra height. Regularly spaced thickenings are optionally manufacturable as spiral convex thread line or as a set of counterbored twin holes regularly spaced in axial plane of a rod having diameter of 1.5-2.0 times as large as that of the wire. EFFECT: reduced risk of vertebral column injures; simplified design. 4 cl, 6 dwg