The biocompatible lattice structures and implants disclosed herein have an increased or optimized lucency, even when constructed from a metallic material. The lattice structures can also provide an increased or optimized lucency in a material that is not generally considered to be radiolucent. Lucency can include disparity, maximum variation in lucency properties across a structure, or dispersion, minimum variation in lucency properties across a structure. The implants and lattice structures disclosed herein may be optimized for disparity or dispersion in any desired direction. A desired direction with respect to lucency can include the anticipated x-ray viewing direction of an implant in the expected implantation orientation.

A placeholder for vertebrae or vertebral discs includes a tubular body, which along its jacket surface has a plurality of breakthroughs or openings for over-growth with adjacent tissue. The placeholder includes at least a second tubular body provided with a plurality of breakthroughs and openings at least partially inside the first tubular body. The first and second tubular bodies can have different cross-sectional shapes, can be are arranged inside one another by press fit or force fit or can be connected to each other via connecting pins and arranged side by side to one another in the first body.

The biocompatible lattice structures and implants disclosed herein have an increased or optimized lucency, even when constructed from a metallic material. The lattice structures can also provide an increased or optimized lucency in a material that is not generally considered to be radiolucent. Lucency can include disparity, maximum variation in lucency properties across a structure, or dispersion, minimum variation in lucency properties across a structure. The implants and lattice structures disclosed herein may be optimized for disparity or dispersion in any desired direction. A desired direction with respect to lucency can include the anticipated x-ray viewing direction of an implant in the expected implantation orientation.

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.

The present invention relates to a vertebral system comprising a vertebral implant (2) and a plurality of inserts, said implant being designed to be implanted in a vertebral segment composed of at least two vertebrae and including a body (20) the walls whereof delimit a cavity (23) leading to the outside of the body (20) through at least one opening in at least one of said walls, at least one passage (21) passing through the implant (2) from the to periphery to an upper or lower surface to receive a bone-anchoring device (1) capable of anchoring the implant (2) in at least one of said vertebrae, the system being characterized in that it includes at least two inserts selected from among the following inserts: at least one graft insert (3, 3A, 3B, 4, 5A, 5B, 6A, 6B, 6C, 6D, 202, 250) capable of being colonized by bone tissue and/or receiving at least one bone tissue graft and/or at least one substitute:
and/or at least one bone-anchoring insert (210) comprising said passage (21) capable of receiving said bone-anchoring device (1).

An orthopaedic prosthesis is disclosed. The orthopaedic prosthesis includes a frame including a plurality of beams defining an open-cell structure and a shell applied to the frame. The frame includes a proximal arm, a distal arm, and a central body connecting the proximal arm to the distal arm. The shell extends over the proximal arm, the distal arm, and the central body of the frame. A method of implanting an orthopaedic prosthesis is also disclosed.

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.

The biocompatible lattice structures disclosed herein with an increased or optimized lucency are prepared according to multiple methods of design disclosed herein. The methods allow for the design of a metallic material with sufficient strength for use in an implant and that remains radiolucent for x-ray imaging.

The present invention relates to a vertebral system comprising a vertebral implant (2) and a plurality of inserts, said implant being designed to be implanted in a vertebral segment composed of at least two vertebrae and including a body (20) the walls whereof delimit a cavity (23) leading to the outside of the body (20) through at least one opening in at least one of said walls, at least one passage (21) passing through the implant (2) from the periphery to an upper or lower surface to receive a bone-anchoring device (1) capable of anchoring the implant (2) in at least one of said vertebrae, the system being characterized in that it includes at least two inserts selected from among the following inserts: at least one graft insert (3, 3A, 3B, 4, 5A, 5B, 6A, 6B, 6C, 6D, 202, 250) capable of being colonized by bone tissue and/or receiving at least one bone tissue graft and/or at least one substitute; and/or at least one bone-anchoring insert (210) comprising said passage (21) capable of receiving said bone-anchoring device (1).

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.