A system and method for forming a medical implant using a printing device. The printing device includes a print head having a heated nozzle, a heated build plate for receiving the printed material thereon, and a reflective plate having an active heater. A method for forming a medical device includes extruding a printing material by contiguous deposition to form a porous object having a lattice-like structure. The medical device, such as a spinal implant, may have interconnected pores and different regions, each having a different porosity for encouraging bone growth therein. The printed medical implant may be designed to be patient-specific, customized, and printed on-demand.

A system and method for forming a medical implant using a printing device. The printing device includes a print head having a heated nozzle, a heated build plate for receiving the printed material thereon, and a reflective plate having an active heater. A method for forming a medical device includes extruding a printing material by contiguous deposition to form a porous object having a lattice-like structure. The medical device, such as a spinal implant, may have interconnected pores and different regions, each having a different porosity for encouraging bone growth therein. The printed medical implant may be designed to be patient-specific, customized, and printed on-demand.

An artificial spinal disc including an upper disc formed in a plate shape with top coupled to an upper vertebra, a protruding joint portion protruding from a lower surface of the upper disc, and a lower disc formed in a plate shape with bottom coupled to a lower vertebra wherein the protruding joint portion is seated on an upper surface of the lower disc. According to the foregoing description, the artificial disc is implanted through the lateral or anterolateral approach to the spine, rather than the anterior approach, and such lateral implantation is straightforward.

A spinal implant apparatus that is an expandable spacer including features to minimize or eliminate spacer cant or offset during and after completing the expansion process. The spacer includes a top component, a base component in engagement with the top component, and an expansion mechanism arranged to change the top component's position with respect to the base component. The mechanism for causing expansion may be a screw, a cam, a wedge or other form of distracting device. In one embodiment, the expandable spacer includes a base component with a set of towers and a top component with a set of corresponding silos, where the towers and silos are configured to minimize or eliminate tilt of the top component as it extends upwardly from the base component.

Implants including non-resorbable frameworks and resorbable components, as well as methods of use thereof are disclosed. The embodiments include different combinations of a non-resorbable framework (in some case structural and in other cases non-structural), and a resorbable component embedded within and/or around the framework (again, in some cases structural and in other cases non-structural). The disclosed implants provide an efficient means of providing structural support for the vertebral bodies post-implantation, as well as encouraging resorption of the implant and fusion of the associated vertebral bodies without negative side effects and/or failure, such as subsidence of the implant or cracking/fracturing of a portion of the implant when implanted.

A knee joint endoprosthesis set for replacing a knee joint of a patient, a patient knee joint endoprosthesis set, and a knee joint endoprosthesis system. The knee joint endoprosthesis set includes a knee joint endoprosthesis with a femoral component, a tibial component, and a first meniscal component. The knee joint endoprosthesis set also includes a second meniscal component configured differently from the first meniscal component. One of the first and second meniscal components is arranged between the femoral component and the tibial component for forming the knee joint endoprosthesis.

A method of preparing an interpositional implant suitable for a knee. The method includes determining a three-dimensional shape of a tibial surface of the knee. An implant is produced having a superior surface and an inferior surface, with the superior surface adapted to be positioned against a femoral condyle of the knee, and the inferior surface adapted to be positioned upon the tibial surface of the knee. The inferior surface conforms to the three-dimensional shape of the tibial surface. The implant may be inserted into the knee without making surgical cuts on the tibial surface. The tibial surface may include cartilage, or cartilage and bone.

An intervertebral implant for fusing vertebrae is disclosed. The implant may have a body with curved, posterior and anterior faces separated by two narrow implant ends, superior and inferior faces having a plurality of undulating surfaces for contacting vertebral endplates, and at least one depression in the anterior or posterior face for engagement by an insertion tool. The implant may also have one or more vertical through-channels extending through the implant from the superior face to the inferior face, a chamfer on the superior and inferior surfaces at one of the narrow implant ends, and/or a beveled edge along a perimeter of the superior and inferior faces. The implant configuration facilitates transforaminal insertion of the implant into a symmetric position about the midline of the spine so that a single implant provides balanced support to the spinal column. The implant may be formed of a plurality of interconnecting bodies assembled to form a single unit. An implantation kit and method are also disclosed.

A tool assembly includes a universal, intervertebral bone fusion spacer for insertion into a disc space between a first vertebral body and a second vertebral body and fusion of the first vertebral body to the second vertebral body via biological bone fusion and screw fusion, and a tool for manipulating and inserting the universal, intervertebral bone fusion spacer into the disc space between the first vertebral body and the second vertebral body to provide fusion of the first vertebral body to the second vertebral body via biological bone fusion and screw fusion.

The invention relates to an implant for the transforaminal intracorporeal fusion of lumbar vertebral column segments. At least some sections of the surface areas that are in direct contact with the spinal column are provided with an anti-dislocation mechanism (1) while an attachment part (4) for a positioning instrument (10) is provided in or on the implant and holes (6) or hollow spaces are disposed in the implant for filling purposes. According to one embodiment of the invention, the attachment part is configured as a revolute joint. In a further embodiment, the implant member has the shape of a sickle, the curvature of which is oriented ventrally and the interior of which is oriented dorsally. The attachment part is located at one end of the sickle while the opposite end of the sickle has a beak-type, tapering shape (5). At least one filling hole is provided between the sickle walls.