Embodiments of the invention include a disc or vertebral defect packing tape for use in disc fusion, disc regeneration or for the creation of artificial disks. The tape comprises a tape body and one or more support members. Each of the support members is contained within the tape body and/or adhered to an external surface of the tape or tape body. The tape body is configured as a packing material and each of the support members is configured to hold the tape body together.

Methods for altering the natural history of degenerative disc disease and osteoarthritis of the spine are proposed. The methods focus on the prevention, or delayed onset or progression of, subchondral defects such as bone marrow edema or bone marrow lesion, and subchondral treatment to prevent the progression of osteoarthritis or degenerative disc disease in the spine and thereby treat pain.

An intervertebral disc prosthesis designed to be substituted for fibrocartilaginous discs ensures a connection between the vertebra of the vertebra column or the end of the latter. The prosthesis includes a pair of plates spaced from each other by a nucleus. The prosthesis has increased stability by providing the nucleus with a translation or rotation stop, or by inducing an angular correction between its plates contacting vertebra, or a combination of these characteristics. The stop includes parts external to the nucleus and contact surfaces perpendicular to their contact directions. Surgical methods and instrumentation for implanting the prosthesis are also described.

A medical implant which comprises a porous lattice is fabricated with additive manufacturing techniques such as direct metal laser sintering. A CAD model of the porous lattice is created by defining a trimming volume and merging some lattice elements with adjacent solid substrate.

Compositions comprising a cartilage sheet comprising a plurality of interconnected cartilage tiles and a biocompatible carrier are provided. Methods of manufacturing cartilage compositions comprising a cartilage sheet comprising a plurality of interconnected cartilage tiles are also provided.

This invention is directed to an assembled implant comprising two or more portions of bone that are held together in appropriate juxtaposition with one or more biocompatible pins to form a graft unit. Preferably, the pins are cortical bone pins. Typically, the cortical pins are press-fitted into appropriately sized holes in the bone portions to achieve an interference fit. The bone portions are allograft or xenograft.

The present invention relates generally to a prosthetic spinal disc for replacing a damaged disc between two vertebrae of a spine and methods for inserting said discs. The intervertebral prosthetic discs are provided with connections for facilitating implantation and removal and features which enhance primary and secondary stability over time.

This invention is directed to orthopedic implants and systems. The invention also relates to methods of implant design, manufacture, modeling and implantation as well as to surgical tools and kits used therewith. The implants are designed by analyzing the articular surface to be corrected and creating a device with an anatomic or near anatomic fit; or selecting a pre-designed implant having characteristics that give the implant the best fit to the existing defect.

Methods for altering the natural history of degenerative disc disease and osteoarthritis of the spine are proposed. The methods focus on the prevention, or delayed onset or progression of, subchondral defects such as bone marrow edema or bone marrow lesion, and subchondral treatment to prevent the progression of osteoarthritis or degenerative disc disease in the spine and thereby treat pain.

The three-dimensional lattice structures disclosed herein have applications including use in medical implants. Some examples of the lattice structure are structural in that they can be used to provide structural support or mechanical spacing. In some examples, the lattice can be configured as a scaffold to support bone or tissue growth. Some examples can use a repeating modified rhombic dodecahedron or radial dodeca-rhombus unit cell. The lattice structures are also capable of providing a lattice structure with anisotropic properties to better suit the lattice for its intended purpose.