In one embodiment, a hinged microfracture awl includes a handle, and a shaft that extends through and from the handle, the shaft being pivotally mounted to the handle with a hinge, wherein a distal end of the shaft includes a sharp tip adapted to pierce bone and a proximal end of the shaft includes an impact head adapted to be struck by a striking tool.

The invention comprises a method for fixating bones in the foot by aligning the bones in their desired position, inserting a screw in the aligned bones, inserting at least one transverse element near the head or tip of the screw, and tightening the screw to compress the bones. The screw comprises a shaft having first and second ends with spirally wound screw threads beginning near the first end and extending along the shaft. Advantageously, the screw is cannulated and screw threads are formed on an interior surface of the cannulation. Illustratively, the transverse elements may be staples, open-ended washers, or open-ended nuts. Reduction instruments and drill guides used in the invention are also disclosed.

Shapeable guide catheters and methods for manufacturing and using such shapeable guide catheters. In one embodiment, the shapeable guide catheter comprises a tubular member having a shapeable region, a malleable shaping member attached to the shapeable region such that, when the shape of the shapeable region is changed from a first shape to a second shape, the shaping member will plastically deform to thereafter substantially hold the shapeable region in the second shape, a tubular outer jacket disposed about the outer surface of the tubular member and a tubular inner jacket disposed within the lumen of the tubular member. The shapeable region of the guide catheter may be manually formed into a desired shape before insertion of the guide catheter into the body. In some embodiments, the guide catheter is sized to be inserted through a nostril of a human patient and used to guide the transnasal insertion of another device (e.g., a guidewire, catheter, etc.) to a desired location within the nose, throat, ear or cranium of the subject.

A contact portion, provided in an exposed surface of the treating section, treats a treated object by a transmitted ultrasonic vibration while intruding into the treated object toward an intruding direction from a state being in contact with the treated object. An index portion is disposed on an anti-intruding direction side with respect to the contact portion in the exposed surface. The index portion becomes an index indicating an intruding amount of the contact portion into the treated object toward the intruding direction. The index portion includes index surfaces arranged in the intruding direction, and each of the index surfaces has an angle relative to the intruding direction which is different from the angle of the adjacent index surface.

Methods and devices are provided for forming holes in bone to stimulate bone growth. In one exemplary embodiment, a surgical instrument set can include a driver having a first mating element, and a bone pick have a second mating element configured to releasably mate with the first mating element at any of a plurality of angular orientations. When releasably mated together, the driver and the bone pick can be configured to be adjustably positioned relative to one another with three degrees of freedom, e.g., pitch, yaw, and roll. The bone pick can include a piercing tip configured to form a hole in a bone, such as in microfracture. When the driver and the bone pick are releasably mated together, the driver can be configured to be struck, impacted, or otherwise manipulated to drive the piercing tip into the bone.

In one embodiment, a hinged microfracture awl includes a handle, and a shaft that extends through and from the handle, the shaft being pivotally mounted to the handle with a hinge, wherein a distal end of the shaft includes a sharp tip adapted to pierce bone and a proximal end of the shaft includes an impact head adapted to be struck by a striking tool.

The invention comprises a method for fixating bones in the foot by aligning the bones in their desired position, inserting a screw in the aligned bones, inserting at least one transverse element near the head or tip of the screw, and tightening the screw to compress the bones. The screw comprises a shaft having first and second ends with spirally wound screw threads beginning near the first end and extending along the shaft. Advantageously, the screw is cannulated and screw threads are formed on an interior surface of the cannulation. Illustratively, the transverse elements may be staples, open-ended washers, or open-ended nuts. Reduction instruments and drill guides used in the invention are also disclosed.

Arthroplasty components include an articular surface and a bone-facing surface. The bone-facing surface includes a concave arrangement of planar surfaces which converge as they approach a middle portion of the articular surface. Instruments and implantation methods are also disclosed.

Described herein is a method for treating a narrowed region of a lumen in the ear or nose of a patient. The method includes advancing a catheter within the lumen such that a distal end of the catheter is positioned proximate to the narrowed region, filling a fillable member to expand the fillable member within the lumen, and generating at least one shock wave from at least one shock wave emitter. The at least one shock wave creates one or more fractures in a bony structure of the narrowed region of the lumen that dilate the narrowed region.

An assembly for preparing bone stock includes a shell (52) comprising a base (54) having a support surface (56), and a lid (58). The base and lid have a void space (60) therebetween. A carriage (62) is disposed at least partially within the void space, and moveable across the support surface. The carriage comprises a wall (64), at least a portion (65) of which is resiliently deformable. The wall cooperates with the base to define a preparation chamber (66), and a removal element (68) configured to remove soft tissue from the bone stock is disposed at least partially therein. The resilient portion of the wall is configured to deform when bone stock is positioned between the removal element and the wall. The carriage is configured to receive power from a drive train to actuate movement of the carriage across the support surface, and the removal element is also configured to receive power from the drive train.