Adult autologous stem cells cultured on a porous, three-dimensional tissue scaffold-implant for bone regeneration by the use of a hyaluronan and/or dexamethasone to accelerate bone healing alone or in combination with recombinant growth factors or transfected osteogenic genes. The scaffold-implant may be machined into a custom-shaped three-dimensional cell culture system for support of cell growth, reservoir for peptides, recombinant growth factors, cytokines and antineoplastic drugs in the presence of a hyaluronan and/or dexamethasone alone or in combination with growth factors or transfected osteogenic genes, to be assembled ex vivo in a tissue incubator for implantation into bone tissue.

Disclosed is directed to a method for restoring bone in an animal comprising: accessing a site to be restored; loading a syringe body with a flowable bone graft material; mating the syringe body with a delivery tube; positioning the delivery tube at the site to be restored; using a syringe piston to advance the said material into the delivery tube; using the syringe piston or a plunger that mates with the delivery tube after removal of the syringe body to deliver the bone graft to the site at a force of less than 50 lbs. extrusion force; wherein said material is at least 75% porous with a mineral to polymer ratio of 80:20.

This disclosure presents various embodiments of a transforaminal intersomatic cage for an intervertebral fusion graft, and an instrument and method for implanting the cage, an embodiment of the cage having a body in the shape of a circular arc and comprising a lateral concave surface, a lateral convex surface, a straight upper surface, a straight lower surface and an end wall having at least one hole, called the end hole, designed to receive a rod of an instrument for implanting the cage between the vertebrae, wherein: the end hole has an orientation that is more or less tangential to the circular arc described by the body; the extremity opposite to the end wall of the body includes a return part extending the body toward the center of the circle on which the circular arc described by the body lies.

Spinal tissue distraction devices that include a member which has a pre-deployed configuration for insertion between tissue layers and a deployed configuration in which the member, by change of configuration, forms a support structure for separating and supporting layers of spinal tissue.

Thoracic/lumbar and cervical spinous process staples which staple/fuse adjacent spinous processes are disclosed. Thoracic/lumbar transverse process staples which staple/fuse adjacent transverse processes are also disclosed. Each embodiment has upper and lower claws connected by a ratchet spring mechanism, along with a multiplicity of bone fastener prongs attached to the upper and lower claws. Two sets of prongs on each staple claw are spaced by a distance approximately equal to the distance separating adjacent spinous or transverse processes so as to facilitate stapling/fusion of two adjacent processes. Also disclosed are staple prongs with multiple perforations which enable incorporation of bone fusion material thereby facilitating stapling/fusion of spinal elements.

A system for stabilizing a cervical spine segment includes a pair of uncinate joint stabilizers for stabilizing a respective pair of uncinate joints. Each uncinate joint stabilizer is elongated along a lengthwise dimension and is configured for placement in the respective uncinate joint with the lengthwise dimension substantially oriented along an anterior-to-posterior direction of the cervical spine segment. Each uncinate joint stabilizer has height configured to define spacing of the respective uncinate joint. Each uncinate joint stabilizer includes a generally cylindrical portion with cylinder axis in the lengthwise dimension. The generally cylindrical portion has threads for threading the uncinate joint stabilizer into the respective uncinate joint along the anterior-to-posterior direction. The threads are interrupted by one or more fenestrations configured to accommodate bone graft material, bone growth, and/or tissue displaced from the respective uncinate joint by the uncinate joint stabilizer.

An osteotomy implant includes a first surface extending generally in a first plane and a second surface extending generally in a second plane, oblique to the first plane. The first surface has a perimeter having a first linear edge, a first curve edge connected to the first linear edge, a second linear edge connected to the first curved edge, and a second curved edge connected to the second liner edge.

An expandable intervertebral implant is provided for insertion into an intervertebral space defined by adjacent vertebrae. The expandable intervertebral implant includes a pair of outer sleeve portions and an inner core disposed between the outer sleeve portions. Movement of the inner core relative to the outer sleeve portions causes the outers sleeve portions to deflect away from each other, thereby engaging the expandable intervertebral implant with the vertebrae and adjusting the height of the intervertebral space.

Systems and methods are described for correcting sagittal imbalance in a spine including instruments for performing the controlled release of the anterior longitudinal ligament through a lateral access corridor and hyper-lordotic lateral implants.

An apparatus includes a flexible container and a port. The container includes a first layer coupled to a second layer to define a storage volume within which a tissue specimen can be contained. The first layer has a first stiffness and the second layer has a second stiffness. An edge of the first layer is spaced apart from an edge of the second layer to define an opening into the storage volume. The edges of the first and second layer form a peelable seal that hermetically seals the storage volume such that the first layer can be peeled away from the second layer to expose the storage volume. The port is coupled to the flexible container and allows fluid communication between the storage volume and an external volume.