US Patent Issued to DePuy Synthes Products on Sept. 30 for "Balloon with shape control for spinal procedures" (Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Georgia Inventors)

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 30 -- United States Patent no. 12,426,868, issued on Sept. 30, was assigned to DePuy Synthes Products Inc. (Raynham, Mass.).

"Balloon with shape control for spinal procedures" was invented by Michael J. O'Neil (West Barnstable, Mass.), Michael Andrew Slivka (Taunton, Mass.), Anwar M. Upal (Fall River, Mass.), John Riley Hawkins (Cumberland, R.I.) and Michael Alan Fisher (Lawrenceville, Ga.).

According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "Devices and methods for minimally invasive disc space distraction and implantation are provided. For example, in intervertebral operative spinal procedures, separate or pre-attached spreader blocks can be used to control the directional growth of a distr...