An implantable orthopedic stability device is disclosed. The device can have a contracted and an expanded configuration. A method of using the device between adjacent facet surfaces for support and/or fixation of either or both of the adjacent vertebrae is also disclosed.

Medical devices and method for making and using the same are disclosed. An example medical device may include implantable medical device for use along the biliary and/or pancreatic tract. The implantable medical device may include a tubular member having a first end configured to be disposed within the duodenum of a patient and a second end configured to be disposed adjacent to a pancreatic duct and/or bile duct. The tubular member may have a body including one or more wire filaments that are woven together. The tubular member may also have an outer surface with a longitudinal channel formed therein.

A stent including a mesh made of strands. The mesh has at least one radiopaque strand and at least one non-radiopaque strand, and the at least one radiopaque strand and the at least one non-radiopaque strand each have different diameters. Each strand has an index of wire stiffness EI, where EI is the mathematical product of the Young's modulus (E) and the second moment of area (I). The EI of all strands in the mesh is no more than five times the EI of the strand having the smallest EI of any of the strands.

A medical valve implant includes an implant structure fastened to a base body. The base body has cells that extend in a circumferential direction of a valve implant. An end section bulges in a curved shape outwardly in a radial direction of the base body. The end section has a larger diameter than an axially adjacent collar portion of the base body. A collar includes a first cell structure provided to form, in an intended end state, an intended inner cross-section of the base body that is matched to an intended outer cross section of the implant structure. A holding device extends axially from and beyond the cells. The holding device includes a leg directly connected to a terminal end of one of the cells and a head at an opposite end of the leg. One or both of the leg and the head is canted radially inward toward a geometric center of the base body.

Medical devices and method for making and using the same are disclosed. An example medical device may include implantable medical device for use along the biliary and/or pancreatic tract. The implantable medical device may include a tubular member having a first end configured to be disposed within the duodenum of a patient and a second end configured to be disposed adjacent to a pancreatic duct and/or bile duct. The tubular member may have a body including one or more wire filaments that are woven together. The tubular member may also have an outer surface with a longitudinal channel formed therein.

A medical valve implant having a medical heart valve fastened to a base body, the base body having a circumferential arrangement of cells with a proximal end and a distal end to provide inflow and outflow sections when implanted, where some of the cells at the distal end are connected to holding devices that cant inward. Within the cells can be smaller cells having two halves configured for outward movement relative to the larger surrounding cell.

A stent including a mesh made of strands. The mesh has at least one radiopaque strand and at least one non-radiopaque strand, and the at least one radiopaque strand and the at least one non-radiopaque strand each have different diameters. Each strand has an index of wire stiffness EI, where EI is the mathematical product of the Young's modulus (E) and the second moment of area (I). The EI of all strands in the mesh is no more than five times the EI of the strand having the smallest EI of any of the strands.

Medical devices and method for making and using the same are disclosed. An example medical device may include implantable medical device for use along the biliary and/or pancreatic tract. The implantable medical device may include a tubular member having a first end configured to be disposed within the duodenum of a patient and a second end configured to be disposed adjacent to a pancreatic duct and/or bile duct. The tubular member may have a body including one or more wire filaments that are woven together. The tubular member may also have an outer surface with a longitudinal channel formed therein.

In some aspects, the present invention is a medical implant with an independent endplate structure that can stimulate bone or tissue growth in or around the implant. When used as a scaffold for bone growth, the inventive structure can increase the strength of new bone growth. The independent endplate structures generally include implants with endplates positioned on opposite sides of the implant and capable of at least some movement relative to one another. In most examples, the endplates have a higher elastic modulus than that of the bulk of the implant to allow the use of an implant with a low elastic modulus, without risk of damage from the patient's bone. A method of designing independent endplate implants is also disclosed, including ranges of elastic moduli for the endplates and bulk of the implant for given implant parameters. Implants with elastic moduli within the ranges disclosed herein can optimize the loading of new bone growth to provide increased bone strength.

A medical valve implant comprising: an implant structure configured as a medical valve; and a base body that includes a collar extending in a circumferential direction around the implant structure, wherein the collar includes a first cell structure composed of a plurality of cells forming an inner cross section of the base body that is matched to an outer cross section of the implant structure, characterized in that the collar includes a second cell structure fastened to an inner contour of a cell of the first cell structure at two fastening points and configured to move radially outward relative to the first cell structure so that an outer contour of the base body is formed by the first cell structure and the second cell structure.