Disclosed herein is an intervertebral disc prosthesis comprising a first cantilever arm; the first cantilever arm comprising a shaft that is affixed to a disc; a second cantilever arm that comprises a plurality of rods that contact the disc; the plurality of rods being equidistant from a central axis of the shaft; and a third cantilever arm that comprises a platform to which are attached a plurality of rings; the rings being concentrically disposed about the shaft; the rings being in operative communication with each other; where the plurality of rods contacts the platform; and where the second cantilever arm has more degrees of freedom than the first cantilever arm, while the third cantilever arm has a number of degrees of freedom that are greater than or equal to the number of degrees of the second cantilever arm.

Systems and methods for distracting an intervertebral disc space are provided. The systems use an expandable trial with telescopic stabilizers. The systems and methods of distracting an intervertebral space are provided in a manner that addresses the problem of subsidence. The method includes inserting the trial into the intervertebral space in a collapsed state and, once inserted, the trial is then used for distracting the intervertebral space using an expansion that includes a first stage and a second stage. The first stage includes expanding the trial laterally toward the peripheral zones of the top vertebral plate and the bottom vertebral plate, and the second stage includes expanding the trial vertically to distract the intervertebral space.

The invention relates to an acetabular cup (4) and a cup insert (3) for a hip joint prosthesis (12), wherein the cup insert (3) is coupled to the acetabular cup by means of a clamping cone (5) of a conical clamping device in the equatorial region (7) of the two components (3, 4) and, in the unloaded state of the cup insert (3), a gap (8) is provided between the two components (3, 4) below the clamping cone (5) to the pole (6), said gap being delimited by the radial contours of the two components (3, 4). In order to reduce the tensile stresses in the cup insert, the radial contours of the two components (3, 4) have identical geometric elements in the same order, starling front the lower cone end (9) to the pole (6), and tangential or substantially tangential transitions exist between the geometric elements.

A cranial plate is provided for use after a craniectomy. The plate is mounted to the skull and protects the brain exposed in the skull opening. A plate is initially spaced above the skull with gaskets or spacers so as to preclude pressure on the brain. The gaskets or spacers are resorptive, or otherwise dissolve or shrink over time, until the plate settles upon the skull. An elastic web extending over the plate provides a constant force to pull the plate towards the skull as the spacers shrink. The plate is secured to the skull using screws. The plate may include alignment posts residing adjacent the skull opening to maintain proper positioning of the plate as the spacers shrink. The plate eliminates the need for a second cranioplasty surgical procedure.

A method for implanting a medical device for implantation in a mammal joint. The method comprising the steps of creating an opening reaching from outside of the human body into the joint, providing said artificial contacting surface to said joint, fixating the artificial contacting surface to the joint, implanting said reservoir in the human body, and lubricating the artificial contacting surface with use of a lubricating fluid contained in said reservoir.

An intervertebral disc includes a superior endplate having an upper vertebral contacting surface and a lower bearing surface, wherein the upper vertebral contacting surface of the superior endplate has a central portion that is raised relative to a peripheral portion of the superior endplate, and wherein the lower bearing surface has a concavity disposed opposite the raised central portion. The disc includes an inferior endplate having a lower vertebral contacting surface and an upper surface, wherein the lower vertebral contacting surface of the inferior endplate has a central portion and wherein the upper bearing surface has a concavity disposed opposite the central portion. A core is positioned between the upper and inferior endplates, the core having upper and lower core bearing surfaces configured to mate with the bearing surfaces of the upper and inferior endplates. The upper vertebral contacting surface of the superior end plate has a different shape than the lower vertebral contacting surface of the inferior end plate.

An artificial intervertebral disc with shock absorption includes upper and lower plates disposed about a shock absorbing movable core. The upper and lower plates have an outer surface which engages a vertebrae and an inner bearing surface. The shock absorbing core includes a unitary member of a rigid material having at least one lateral cut between upper and lower surfaces of the core to allow the upper and lower surfaces to move resiliently toward and away from each other. This allows the core to absorb forces applied to it by the vertebrae.

An interspinous posterior device (IPD) is described. The IPD has a body and bone fixation elements on either side of the body, each of said bone fixation elements having a ratchet locking mechanism for fixing the body to successive spinous processes of a mammalian vertebra. Each of the bone fixation elements is independently adjustable by ratcheting it separately and independently of the other bone fixation elements. The body of the IPD has a dynamic configuration and a non-dynamic configuration, wherein the dynamic configuration allows for both extension and flexion of the successive spinous processes and the non-dynamic configuration prohibits extension of the successive spinous processes. The IPD also includes a removable extension restriction block, wherein the extension restriction block can optionally be inserted in the body to prohibit extension or can be removed from the body to allow extension.

Deployable Euler Spiral Connectors (DESCs) are introduced as compliant deployable flexures that can span gaps between segments in a mechanism and then lay flat when under strain in a stowed position. This paper presents models of Euler spiral beams combined in series and parallel that can be used to design compact compliant mechanisms. Constraints on the flexure parameters of DESCs are also presented. Analytic models developed for the force-deflection behavior and stress were compared to finite element analysis and experimental data. A spinal implant and a linear ratcheting system are presented as illustrative applications of DESCs.

A prosthetic system for implantation between upper and lower vertebrae comprises an upper joint component. The upper joint component comprises an upper contact surface and an upper articulation surface. The system further includes a lower joint component. The lower joint component comprises a lower contact surface and a lower articulation surface configured to movably engage the upper articulation surface to form an articulating joint. The articulating joint is adapted for implantation within a disc space between the upper and lower vertebrae, allowing the upper and lower vertebrae to move relative to one another. The system further includes a bridge component extending posteriorly from one of either the upper or lower joint components and from the disc space. The bridge component has a distal end opposite the one of the either upper or lower joint components. The distal end of the bridge component comprises a connection component adapted to receive a fastener.