An interbody spacer for a spine includes a housing having a plurality of clearance holes configured to engage bone of the spine. A contact plate including a plurality of apertures is positioned a distance away from the housing configured to engage bone of the spine. A plurality of rivets adjoin the housing and the contact plate. A plurality of springs are included with each spring configured to encircle a respective rivet and translate the distance between the housing and contact plate from a minimum distance to a maximum distance.

A surgical cage positioning system for the implantological replacement of an intervertebral disk, in the region of the lumbar spine of humans, has a positioning instrument with a first coupling prong and with a first manipulator prong, each provided with a coupling element. The manipulator prong can be displaced in the axial direction relative to the coupling prong by means of a handle. The cage positioning system has a cage with an insertion opening for the instrumentation segment and with coupling means, via which the coupling elements of the instrumentation segment, each pivotally connected to the cage, can be coupled so that the cage can be pivoted by means of the manipulator prong about an axis of rotation defined by the coupling element of the coupling prong and the coupling means of the cage relative to the longitudinal axis of the positioning instrument.

A device for insertion into a gap between adjacent, spaced apart bony elements includes an adjustable length interconnecting member having a distal and a proximal retention plate secured to opposite ends of the interconnecting member. The distal retention plate has a non-rotated position and a plurality of rotated positions. The non-rotated position aligns the distal retention plate with the gap prior to and during insertion of the distal retention plate into the gap. The distal retention plate is rotated after it has exited the gap on a distal side of the gap to prevent its return into the gap. The proximal retention plate is misaligned with the gap so that it cannot enter into the gap. The rotated distal retention plate cooperates with the proximal retention plate to hold bony elements such as adjacent vertebral bodies in a stable relationship to one another when the interconnecting member is shortened.

A distractible intervertebral implant configured to be inserted in an insertion direction into an intervertebral space that is defined between a first vertebral body and a second vertebral body is disclosed. The implant may include a first body and a second body. The first body may define an outer surface that is configured to engage the first vertebral body, and an opposing inner surface that defines a rail. The second body may define an outer surface that is configured to engage the second vertebral body, and an inner surface that defines a recess configured to receive the rail of the first body. The second body moves in a vertical direction toward the second vertebral body as the second body is slid over the first body and the rail is received in the recess.

An interbody spinal implant including a body having a top surface, a bottom surface, opposing lateral sides, and opposing anterior and posterior portions. At least a portion of the top surface, the bottom surface, or both surfaces has a roughened surface topography including both micro features and nano features, without sharp teeth that risk damage to bone structures, adapted to grip bone through friction generated when the implant is placed between two vertebrae and to inhibit migration of the implant. The roughened surface topography typically further includes macro features and the macro features, micro features, and nano features overlap. Also disclosed are methods of using such implants and processes of fabricating a roughened surface topography on a surface of an implant. The process includes separate and sequential macro processing, micro processing, and nano processing steps.

The invention relates to an expandable implant (11) with an upper plate (12) and a lower plate (16) which extend in the xy plane, which serve for anchoring on/in the vertebral support surfaces, and at least three gears (20, 25, 30) which are coupled to each other, wherein the gears (20, 25, 30) serve to expand the implant (11), and each gear (20, 25, 30) has a threaded spindle (21, 25, 31) and a threaded sleeve with corresponding inner thread (22, 27, 32), wherein the pitch of one thread (31, 32) is different from the pitch of the other threads (21, 22; 26, 27). The invention also relates to an operating instrument (80) for this implant.

A methodology for grafting together adjacent bony structures is provided using an implant device having an endplate with an inner disc portion and outer ring portion spaced from the inner disc portion by a connecting wall disposed there between. An endplate interior surface includes a retaining structure for securing the endplate to one of the bony structures, and endplate an exterior surface has an integrally formed socket. A ball-joint rod has a longitudinally extending body and an end, and at least a portion of the ball-joint rod end is curvilinear in shape. The curvilinear ball-joint rod end is rotatably disposed in the endplate socket to fixedly interconnect the bony structures.

An expandable inter-body fusion device is presented. The expandable inter-body fusion device has a first plate and a second plate that can be manipulated to change the height and angle of lordosis. Also presented is a method of using an expandable inter-body fusion device in an inter-body fusion procedure, and a method of using an expandable trial to size the correct expandable inter-body fusion device for use in the aforementioned procedure.

A methodology for grafting together adjacent bony structures is provided using an implant device having an endplate with an inner disc portion and outer ring portion spaced from the inner disc portion by a connecting wall disposed there between. An endplate interior surface includes a retaining structure for securing the endplate to one of the bony structures, and endplate an exterior surface has an integrally formed socket. A ball-joint rod has a longitudinally extending body and an end, and at least a portion of the ball-joint rod end is curvilinear in shape. The curvilinear ball-joint rod end is rotatably disposed in the endplate socket to fixedly interconnect the bony structures.

A spacer member is provided that is configured to be implanted adjacent an anatomical structure. The spacer member defines a curved bore, a first opening in a side wall of the spacer member and a second opening in one of a top wall and a bottom wall of the spacer member. Each of the first opening and the second opening are in fluid communication with the curved bore. A flexible anchoring member is configured to be inserted through the side opening and through the curved bore of the spacer member such that a distal end portion of the flexible anchoring member extends out of the second opening at an angle relative to the one of the top wall and the bottom wall of the spacer member.