US RE42,837 E1
	Spinal nucleus implant
Vladimir Stoy, Praha Zapad (Czech Republic); and Gerald Gontarz, Jr., Spotswood, N.J. (US)
Assigned to Replication Medical, Inc., Cranbury, N.J. (US)
Filed on Jul. 23, 2003, as Appl. No. 10/625,390.
Application 10/625390 is a reissue of application No. 09/410268, filed on Sep. 30, 1999, now 6,264,695, filed on Jul. 24, 2001.
Int. Cl. A61F 2/44 (2006.01)

U.S. Cl. 623—17.16

50 Claims

[ 39. A spinal disc implant which comprises an implant member dimensioned for positioning in a cavity defined between adjacent vertebrae, the cavity having a first height, the implant member comprising a swellable plastic, whereby upon at least partial hydration of the implant member, the implant member undergoes anisotropic expansion and has a capacity to swell to a second height which is greater than the first height wherein the first height and the second height are measured along a vertical axis and the implant member further defines a horizontal axis and a length extending along the horizontal axis, wherein the capacity to swell to the second height is greater than a swelling capacity along the length of the horizontal axis by at least 25%.]