the foregoing and other objects , features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following more particular description of preferred embodiments of the invention , as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the different views . the drawings are not necessarily to scale , emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention . referring to fig1 , a cross - section of a representative vertebra is shown . vertebra 100 includes vertebra body 102 , spinal canal 104 , pedicle 106 , lamina 108 , spinous process 110 and transverse processes 112 . fig2 a and 2b depict a side view and a posterior view , respectively , of a functional spinal unit ( fsu ). an fsu comprises inferior vertebra 202 and superior vertebra 204 connected by intervertebral disk 206 , facet joints 208 ( located inside the facet joint capsule ), and all ligaments ( not shown ) connecting inferior vertebra 202 and superior vertebra 204 . vertebrae 202 and 204 include posterior - facing spinous processes 210 and laterally facing transverse processes 212 . referring to fig3 , vertebra 320 , superior and adjacent to vertebra 304 , is shown . in addition to intervertebral disks 306 and facet joints 308 ( located inside the facet joint capsule and capsulary ligament 332 ), various ligaments provide further support to a spinal column . of all spinal ligaments , the particular ligaments of related to this invention are ligamentum flavum ( not shown ), interspinous ligament ( not shown ), supraspinous ligament 330 , and facet capsulary ligament 332 . fig4 a and 4b depict lateral and posterior views , respectively , of three sequential vertebrae following a facetectomy ( removal of facet joints 408 ) between vertebrae 402 and 404 and laminectomy ( removal of lamina and spinous process ) on vertebra 404 . as can be seen , vertebra 404 lacks spinous process 410 . vertebrae 402 and 404 are no longer coupled by facet joints 408 . facet joints 408 are intact between vertebra 404 and 420 . with reference to fig4 a and 4b , and by comparison to fig3 , vertebrae 402 and 404 are no longer connected , such as are 404 and 420 , by capsulary ligaments 432 , interspinous ligament 422 , and supraspinous ligament 430 . also , vertebrae 404 and 420 are no longer connected by an interspinous ligament and a supraspinous ligament . fig5 depicts one embodiment of a device of the present invention . similar to fig4 b , three sequential vertebrae , 502 , 504 and 520 , are shown in a patient following a facetectomy between vertebrae 502 and 504 and laminectomy on vertebra 504 . the device of the present invention comprises artificial facet joint 550 . artificial facet joint 550 has been implanted between vertebrae 502 and 504 . the device of the present invention further includes artificial ligaments 590 . artificial facet joint 550 represents a generic artificial facet joint that require removal of at least a portion spinous process 510 of vertebra 504 as represented by “ x ”. in the embodiment shown in fig5 , the entire spinous process of 510 of vertebra 504 is removed by laminectomy and facetectomy . artificial facet joint 550 restore the function of resected anatomy between vertebrae 502 and 504 , including facet joints 508 , capsulary ligaments , interspinous ligament , and supraspinous ligament . however , resection of spinous process 510 of vertebra 504 also removes at a portion of ligamentous connection between vertebrae 504 and 520 , including interspinous ligament and supraspinous ligament between vertebrae 504 and 520 . therefore , artificial ligament 590 restores the function of the resected ligaments between vertebrae 504 and 520 . in one embodiment , artificial facet joint 550 includes coupling member 552 . referring to the embodiment shown in fig5 , artificial facet joint 550 includes connectors 554 and 556 . connector 554 connects coupling member 552 to vertebra 502 using pedicle screws 558 . connector 556 connects coupling member 552 to vertebra 504 using pedicle screws 560 . in the embodiment shown in fig5 , vertebra 520 is disposed adjacent and superior to vertebra 504 , following facetectomy and laminectomy . artificial ligaments 590 connect vertebrae 504 and 520 . in one embodiment , artificial ligaments 590 are attached to vertebra 520 by pedicle screws 592 . the other ends of the artificial ligaments 590 are attached by pedicle screws 560 that are the same pedicle screws used to attach artificial facet joints 550 . although pedicle screws 592 are used to attach artificial ligaments 590 to vertebra 520 , artificial ligaments 590 may attach to other bony anatomy on vertebra 520 directly or indirectly using another mechanism . as non - limiting examples , artificial ligaments 590 can attach to vertebra 520 at vertebral body , pedicle , lamina , spinous process , transverse process , superior articular process , or inferior articular process . moreover , artificial ligaments 590 mat not attach directly on vertebra 520 , but it may wrap around any bony protrusion in vertebra 520 with or without any aid of another component such as a hook . various means of attachment are discussed later . the opposite ends artificial ligaments 590 can also attach or wrap to various site on vertebra 504 similar to vertebra 520 . furthermore , artificial ligaments 590 may attach to vertebra 504 indirectly through the artificial facet joint 550 . again , as non - limiting examples , same attachment mechanism such as bone screws can be used to attach both artificial facet joint 550 and artificial ligaments 590 , or artificial ligaments 590 may attach to any part of artificial facet join 550 , including the connector 556 . any of the currently used artificial facet joints can be used as components of the device of the present invention . in one embodiment , an artificial facet joint described in the u . s . pub . app . no . 2005 / 0055096 is used . other embodiments include those described in u . s . pat . nos . 6 , 419 , 703 , 6 , 565 , 605 , 6 , 579 , 319 , 6 , 610 , 091 , 6 , 669 , 729 , 6 , 902 , 580 and u . s . pub . app . nos . 2003 / 0004572 , 2003 / 0028250 , 2003 / 0040797 , 2004 / 0006391 , 2004 / 0049281 , 2004 / 0049278 , 2004 / 0049277 , 2004 / 0049276 , 2004 / 0049275 , 2004 / 0049274 , 2004 / 0049273 , 2004 / 0049272 , 2004 / 0111154 , 2004 / 0254575 , 2005 / 0027361 , 2005 / 0033434 , 2005 / 0085912 , 2005 / 0102028 , 2005 / 0119748 . the entire teachings of these patents and published applications are herein incorporated by reference . other examples of suitable artificial facet joints are described in u . s . ser . nos . 10 / 905 , 374 and 11 / 171 , 022 , the teachings of which are incorporated herein in their entirety . referring to fig6 , an embodiment of the present invention is shown . three sequential vertebrae , 602 , 604 and 620 , are shown in a patient following facetectomy between vertebra 602 and 604 and laminectomy on vertebra 604 . artificial facet joint 650 has been implanted . artificial facet joint 650 includes coupling member 652 . connectors 654 and 656 connect coupling member 652 to vertebrae 602 and 604 using pedicle screws 658 and 660 . artificial facet joint 650 further includes spinous process support 670 . spinous process support 670 further contributes to restoration of natural function of the functional spinal units comprising vertebrae 602 and 604 and vertebrae 604 and 620 by supporting spinous process 610 of vertebra 620 . artificial ligaments 690 are attached to spinous process support 670 . in the embodiment shown in fig6 , artificial ligaments 690 are attached to spinous process 610 using spinous process hook 692 . therefore , vertebrae 604 and 620 are connected by the artificial ligaments 690 . referring to fig7 , an alternative embodiment of a device of the present invention is shown . three sequential vertebrae , 702 , 704 and 720 , are shown in a patient following facetectomy between vertebra 704 and 720 and laminectomy on vertebra 704 . an embodiment of artificial facet joint 750 has been implanted . artificial facet joint 750 includes coupling member 752 . connectors 754 and 756 of facet joint 750 connect support member 752 to vertebrae 704 and 720 using pedicle screws 758 and 760 . the device of the present invention further includes artificial ligaments 790 that connect vertebrae 702 and 704 . artificial ligaments 790 are attached to vertebra 702 by pedicle screws 792 . the other ends of the artificial ligaments 790 are attached by pedicle screws 750 that are the same bone screws used to attach artificial facet joints 750 . in the embodiment shown in fig7 , vertebra 702 is adjacent and inferior to vertebra 704 , and vertebra 704 has received facetectomy of the superior facet joint , and laminectomy . further , the embodiment of artificial facet joint 750 of the device shown in fig7 includes additional artificial ligaments 794 that connects vertebrae 704 and 720 . in this embodiment , artificial ligaments 794 are attached to pedicle screws 758 and 760 . additional artificial ligaments 794 additionally restores function lost by facetectomy and resection of the posterior spinal ligaments between vertebrae 704 and 720 , including capsulary ligaments interspinous ligaments and supraspinous ligaments . fig8 a through 8e show additional examples of the attachment means that can be employed to attach artificial ligaments 890 of the device of the present invention to vertebra 820 . the attachment mechanism listed in fig8 a and 8e are not exhaustive , and a person skilled in the art will recognize that additional attachment mechanism can be used . variety of bone screws , hooks , rivets , wires , and cables can be employed to secure the artificial ligaments to the vertebra or wrap the artificial ligaments around the vertebra . fig8 a shows bone screws 892 , attachable to pedicles . fig8 b shows bone screw or bone rivet 894 , attachable to spinous process 810 . fig8 c shows spinous process hook 896 , attachable to spinous process 810 . fig8 d shows laminar hooks 898 , attachable to lamina 811 . fig8 e shows transverse process hooks 900 attachable to transverse processes 913 . coupling member ( s ) and connectors of an artificial facet joint of the device of the present invention can be rigid or flexible . in one embodiment , the coupling members and the connectors are flexible . in another embodiment , the connectors are substantially rigid rods . each flexible member can have a variety of configurations , shapes , and sizes . coupling members can be formed from a wide range of biocompatible materials . coupling members , in one embodiment , are formed from a polymer , and more preferably a biocompatible polymer , such as polyurethane , composite reinforced polyurethane , silicone , etc . connecting members can be produced from such materials as metals , ceramics , polymers , etc . artificial ligaments of a device of the present invention perform a function of any combination of natural interspinous ligament , supraspinous ligament , and facet joint capsulary ligament . therefore , artificial ligaments should have tensile strength of at least 50 n , preferably 100 n , more preferably 200 n . when extended with 200 n load , the ligament should produce at least 5 % strain , preferably 10 % strain , more preferably 30 % strain . the artificial ligament should limit the flexion of a functional spinal unit to 15 degrees , preferably no more than 12 degrees of flexion . in other embodiment , the flexible members may have no or low strain ( less than 5 % strain when loaded with 200 n ). however , the ligament should be flexible to easily bend . when implanted , the ligament may be slack in the neutral position to allow flexion of a functional spinal unit to at least 6 degrees , preferably at least 12 degrees . the artificial ligaments can be made of any biocompatible material including polyesters , polypropylene , polyethylene , carbon fiber , glass , glass fiber , polyurethane , plyaramide , metals , polymers , copolymers , polyactic acid ( pla ), polyglycolic acid ( pga ), silk , cellusoseic acid , polycaproactone fibers , or any combination of above . to increase the tensile strength multiple fibers can be weaved to form a band . furthermore , in some embodiments , the flexible members may have time - dependent behavior such as creep . thereby , the property of the artificial ligament changes over time . for example , the flexible member may be very stiff ( e . g ., allowing 5 degrees flexion ) initially after implantation to protect the surrounding injured tissues and become more compliant due to creep as time progresses ( e . g ., allowing 10 degrees flexion after 3 months ). furthermore , the artificial ligaments can be lubricated to lower the friction and wear between its fibers and / or between the ligament and surrounding structures ( facet joint , bony structure , other soft tissues ) using lubricants including hyaluronic acid , proteoglycans , and hydrogels . finally , the artificial ligaments can be made of at least in part by subintestinal submucosa ( sis ) to assist in the formulation of natural ligamentous tissue . while this invention has been particularly shown and described with references to preferred embodiments thereof , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention encompassed by the appended claims .
an implantable device for stabilizing at least a portion of a spinal column . the implantable device comprises an implantable artificial facet joint and one or more artificial ligaments connecting the implanted artificial facet joint to a third vertebra disposed adjacent to either the first or the second vertebra . the artificial facet joint , when implanted , spans a first vertebra and a second vertebra , adjacent to the first vertebra .