A cranial implant for access to a cerebral cortex includes a window member shaped and dimensioned for positioning within a dural defect to provide access through the dura such that access to the cerebral cortex is provided in a location under study. An implant body is provided having a geometry that substantially conforms to a resected portion of a patient's anatomy to which the implant body is to be secured.

An apparatus for the ultrasound guided refilling of a drug delivery pump includes an ultrasound imaging transducer having a nosepiece and a support device coupled to the nosepiece of the ultrasound imaging transducer. The support device can have two support holes whose centers are positioned along a horizontal axis of the support device. A marker can be placed in each of the two support holes. The vertical axis of the ultrasound imaging transducer coincides with the vertical axis of the support device. When imaging using this apparatus and the port inlet of the pump is visualized using the ultrasound transducer, two primary marks on skin can be created by inserting a marker into the support holes. The apparatus can then be rotated around its vertical axis, and a marker again inserted into the support holes to create two secondary marks. The inlet port of the pump is then marked at the intersection of lines which connects the primary marks and respectively the secondary marks.

A device for treating de Quervain's tenosynovitis may include a handle, an introducer shaft extending from the handle, and a blade that includes a blade shaft extending along a top surface of the introducer shaft and onto the handle and a blade cutting edge that faces toward the handle. The device may further include a blade slider attached to a proximal portion of the blade shaft, a blade pivot attached to at least one of the proximal portion of the blade shaft or the blade slider, an upper deck along which the blade slider slides in an upper horizontal orientation, and a lower deck along which the blade slider slides in a lower horizontal orientation. The blade pivot is configured to allow the blade slider to rotate in a plane that is perpendicular to a plane of the introducer shaft.

An insertion site for a cannula (23) on a skin (8) of a patient is prepared by applying a skin cover unit (1) of the type comprising a window (2) and a wall (3) in extension of the window (2) and connected to the window (2) by a bending region (4) for bending the wall (3) into an angled orientation relatively to the window (2); wherein the win-dow (2) comprises a stabilizing frame (5) and an ultrasonic-transparent flexible sheet (6) within the frame (5). The flexible sheet (6) is glued onto the skin (8) of the patient for ultrasonic investigation of the insertion site through the flexible sheet (6). By bending the bending region (4), the angular orientation of the wall (3) is adjusted into an approximately perpendicular orientation relatively to the window (2) for separating the insertion site from the flexible sheet (6) by the wall (3). The cover unit (1) in or at the bending region (4) comprises a stabilizer (9) that is configured for maintaining the angled orientation between the wall (3) and the window (2) by a stabilizing action of the stabilizer (9).

A surgical tool may move a saw blade in a sagittal plane. The saw blade has a distal blade end with teeth. The surgical tool comprises a handpiece body and a carrier operatively attached to the handpiece body. The carrier is configured for oscillating movement about a pivot axis. A retainer is operatively attached to the carrier for concurrent movement and releasably secures the saw blade in the sagittal plane relative to the handpiece body. An actuator is coupled to the handpiece body to selectively oscillate the carrier relative to the handpiece body such that the retainer and the saw blade pivot back and forth about the pivot axis within the sagittal plane. An ultrasonic transducer is operatively attached to the handpiece body to selectively generate ultrasonic energy to resonate the saw blade such that the teeth at the distal blade end reciprocate proximally and distally within the sagittal plane.

A delivery system for delivering a drug depot to a site within a patient, the system comprising: a cannula; a delivery stylet configured and dimensioned to be receivable by and slidable forwardly and backwardly within the cannula including to a position wherein a distal portion of the stylet protrudes beyond the distal end of the cannula; a drug depot retainable by the stylet at the distal end of the stylet, the drug depot being visualizable by a diagnostic imaging beam or modality; and an actuator for ejecting the drug depot from the stylet to a site within the body using fluid pressure. Also disclosed are methods using, and uses of, the delivery system, including for treating scoliosis.

A biopsy device includes a housing, a probe assembly, and an insert aid. The probe includes a biopsy needle unit, a vacuum pressure-generating device, and a flexible connection tube that connects the biopsy needle unit to the vacuum pressure-generating device. The insert aid device has a body that defines a pair of cradles configured to respectively receive the biopsy needle unit and the vacuum pressure-generating device, and configured to orient the biopsy needle unit to lie parallel to the vacuum pressure-generating device in the insert aid device for insertion of the biopsy needle unit and the vacuum pressure-generating device into the housing.

A method for performing a cranioplasty includes the steps of prefabricating a sonolucent craniofacial implant based upon information generated by preoperative scans, creating a cranial, craniofacial, and/or facial defect, and attaching the craniofacial implant to the cranial, craniofacial, and/or facial defect. The craniofacial implant is composed of a material that is sonolucent and exhibits attenuation of less than 6 dB/cm.

Methods and devices are disclosed for treating vascular stenosis using ultrasound vibrational energy from inside and outside of the balloon device into a treatment region of a patient's body. The vibrational energy is of a type and in an amount sufficient to remodel and alter compliance of the plaque at the treatment region and augment delivery therapeutic drugs to the treatment area.

The present invention provides fixation devices, locking assemblies, and methods for using the same. The fixation devices of the invention are capable of accurate insertion of medical devices by providing detection means of a patient's internal anatomy and localizing a desired target. The devices are capable of locking into position to maintain accuracy.