Woodwelding Ag

Sportwelding Gmbh

Ww Technology Ag

Spinewelding Ag

New Dent Ag

Stryker Trauma Gmbh

Woodwelding Sa

Andrea Mueller

Jörg Mayer

Mario Lehmann

Urs Weber

Stephanie Mehl

Milica Berra

Elmar Mock

Andreas Wenger

Philipp Seiler

Thomas Knecht

Joerg Mayer

Marcel Aeschlimann

Stephanie Goebel-Mehl

Barbara Froesch

Jens Langhoff

Laurent Torriani

Hansen A Yuan

Nils Zander

Klaus Dorawa

Frank Martin Phillips

Philipp Bernhard

Mario Weiss

Christopher Rast

Ulrich Berlemann

Domenico Romeo

Roger Staudenmann

Stephen Hochschuler

Peter Perler

Peter Schwenter

Eimar Mock

Robert Sonntag

A graft or prosthetic element suitable e.g. for replacing a tendon or ligament is fastened in a bone tunnel or blind opening with the aid of a fastener. In a first step, the graft or prosthetic element is press-fitted in the tunnel or opening by forcing the fastener into the opening or by positioning the fastener in the opening and then expanding it, wherein the fastener is in contact with the graft or prosthetic element and with the bone wall of the tunnel or blind opening. In a second step, the fastener is anchored in the bone wall of the tunnel or blind opening with the aid of a liquefiable material which is liquefied in the vicinity of the bone wall where it is in contact with the fastener and by making the liquefied material penetrate into the bone wall.

Method of fastening a tissue or a corresponding prosthetic element in an opening provided in a human or animal bone and fastener suitable for the method

A medical method of affixing an element to a surface of dentine, tooth enamel, bone tissue, or corresponding substitute material. The method includes the steps of: providing an attachment composition, the attachment composition having a mixture of: a thermoplastic component; and a hardenable (for example curable) component. The hardenable component is different from the thermoplastic component. The method further includes the steps of: positioning the attachment composition relative to the surface of dentine, tooth enamel, bone tissue, or corresponding substitute material; and activating the attachment composition to attach to the surface or to attach to the element positioned relative to the surface. The step of activating the attachment composition includes activating the attachment composition by means of mechanical vibration.

Affixing an artificial element to a surface of dentine, enamel, bone, or a corresponding substitute material

A device for fixing a first and a second tissue part or a tissue part and an implant part to each other is provided, providing a fastener including a thermoplastic material and a fastening instrument. The fastening instrument includes a first instrument component with a first contact surface facing toward a distal side and a second instrument component has a foot with a second contact surface distally of the first contact surface and facing toward a proximal side. The first instrument component and the second instrument component are displaceable with respect to each other, so that the fastener is compressible between the first and second contact surfaces by application of a relative force between the components. The instrument also includes an energy source for coupling mechanical energy into one of the instrument components to soften and/or melt an end portion of the fastener.

Connecting a plurality of tissue parts

An implant or endoprosthesis suitable to be implanted in human or animal tissue includes two (or more than two) parts to be joined in situ. Each one of the parts includes a joining location, the two joining locations facing each other when the device parts are positioned for being joined together, wherein one of the joining locations includes a material which is liquefiable by mechanical vibration and the other one of the joining locations includes a material which is not liquefiable by mechanical vibration and a structure (e.g. undercut cavities or protrusions) suitable for forming a positive fit connection with the liquefiable material. The joining process is effected by pressing the two device parts against each other and by applying ultrasonic vibration to one of the device parts when the two parts are positioned relative to each other such that the two joining locations are in contact with each other.

Device to be implanted in human or animal tissue and method for implanting and assembling the device

The fusion device for fusing a synovial joint of a human or animal patient, in particular a human facet joint, finger joint or toe joint, includes two pin-shaped anchorage portions and arranged therebetween a stabilization portion. The anchorage portions include a thermoplastic material which is liquefiable by mechanical vibration. The stabilization portion preferably has a surface which is equipped for enhancing osseointegration. The anchorage portions have a greater thickness and a greater depth than the stabilization portion. Then the fusion device is pushed between the articular surfaces and mechanical vibration, in particular ultrasonic vibration, is applied to the proximal face of the fusion device. Thereby the liquefiable material is liquefied where in contact with the bone tissue and penetrates into the bone tissue, where after re-solidification it constitutes a positive fit connection between the fusion device and the bone tissue.

Method for fusing a human or animal joint as well as fusion device and tool set for carrying out the method

For fixedly implanting a device for material or signal delivery or acquisition or a part of such a device in a human or animal body, an opening is provided in hard tissue of the body, the opening reaching through a hard tissue layer, e.g. through a cortical bone layer into cancellous bone underneath. The device includes a plug portion and/or a cover portion which includes a ring of a material having thermoplastic properties extending around the plug portion or on a tissue facing surface of the cover portion. The opening provided in the hard tissue has a cross section at least in the area of its mouth that is adapted to the plug or cover portion such that the plug portion can be introduced through the mouth of the opening or the cover portion can be positioned over the mouth of the opening such that the ring extends around the opening, along its wall and/or on the hard tissue surface around its mouth.

Device to be implanted in a human or animal body for material or signal delivery or acquisition within the body, and method of implanting the device

A suture anchor includes a material having thermoplastic properties and is fixated in a hard tissue opening by liquefying at least part of this material and letting it penetrate into walls of the hard tissue opening. During the named fixation and preferably towards the end of it, the suture being held in a distal suture conduit is locked relative to the hard tissue by being clamped between the suture anchor and the wall of the hard tissue opening or by being clamped or braked through collapse of the suture conduit.

Suture anchor and method for fixating a suture relative to hard tissue

A method for producing an implant including the following steps is provided: &#x2014;providing a core element having a first material; &#x2014;providing a negative mold of the implant; &#x2014;inserting the core element and at least one anchoring element made of a second material into the negative mold, wherein the second material is thermoplastic, &#x2014;closing the negative mold and applying an elevated deformation temperature, wherein at the deformation temperature the second material is plastically deformable, viscous, or liquid and the first material is solid, &#x2014;cooling the negative mold together with the core element and the anchoring element, and&#x2014;removing the resulting implant from the core element and the anchoring element from the negative mold.

Method for producing implants

An implant designed e.g. as a replacement for an articulating surface of a human or animal joint is secured to the bone tissue with the aid of a plurality of fasteners (). The implant () comprises a bone side to be brought into contact with the bone tissue, which bone side is equipped with a plurality of fastening structures restricted to this bone side. The fasteners () comprise a distal and a proximal side, wherein the distal side is equipped for being anchored in bone tissue and the proximal side is equipped for being connected with one of the fastening structures of the implant (). The distal sides of the fasteners () are anchored in the bone tissue of the appropriately prepared bone and the implant () is then attached to the anchored fasteners () by connecting the fastening structures with the proximal sides of the fasteners (), wherein the implant () is pressed against the proximal sides of the anchored fasteners (). The connection between fastening structures and proximal sides of the fasteners is a positive fit connection, a material fit connection and/or a force fit connection.

Method for fastening an implant to bone tissue and corresponding implant system

A perforated sheath is anchored in a tissue opening with the aid of a tool, wherein the anchorage is achieved with the aid of mechanical vibration and a material which is liquefiable by the vibration. The tool includes a vibrating element and a counter element. Distal portions of both elements are introduced into the sheath to be in contact with each other at an interface. The vibrating element is connected to a vibration source and the vibrating element and the counter element are held against each other for effecting liquefaction of the liquefiable material at the interface. Under the effect of the force applied to the vibrating and counter element for holding them against each other, the liquefied material flows from the interface through the sheath perforation and penetrates the tissue.

Device and method for establishing an anchorage in tissue

A spine stabilization device is provided, the spine stabilization device including an interbody spacer shaped to be inserted between a vertebral body of an upper vertebra and a vertebral body of a lower vertebra, and including a top surface oriented towards the lower endplate of the vertebral body of the upper vertebra and a bottom surface oriented towards the upper endplate of the vertebral body of the lower vertebra; and a fixation device to be inserted after placement of the interbody spacer, the fixation device including a support portion securing the interbody spacer against escaping from between the vertebral bodies of the upper and lower vertebra into a ventral direction, the support portion shaped to rest against a portion of an anterior surface of the interbody spacer, and further including an anchor, the anchor including an anchoring material portion that is configured to be inserted, in a liquid state, into cancellous bone tissue of at least one of the vertebral body of the upper vertebra and of the vertebral body of the lower vertebra, to thereby infiltrate the cancellous bone tissue, and to harden thereafter so as to fix the support portion to the vertebral body.

Spine stabilization device, and method and kit for its implantation

For fixedly implanting a device for material or signal delivery or acquisition or a part of such a device in a human or animal body, an opening is provided in hard tissue of the body, the opening reaching through a hard tissue layer, e.g. through a cortical bone layer into cancellous bone underneath. The device includes a plug portion (P) and/or a cover portion (C) which includes a ring of a material having thermoplastic properties extending around the plug portion (P) or on a tissue facing surface of the cover portion (C). The opening provided in the hard tissue has a cross section at least in the area of its mouth that is adapted to the plug or cover portion such that the plug portion (P) can be introduced through the mouth of the opening or the cover portion (C) can be positioned over the mouth of the opening such that the ring extends around the opening, along its wall and/or on the hard tissue surface around its mouth.

The fusion device for fusing a synovial joint of a human or animal patient, in particular a human facet joint, finger joint or toe joint, includes two pin-shaped anchorage portions () and arranged therebetween a stabilization portion (). The anchorage portions () include a thermoplastic material which is liquefiable by mechanical vibration. The stabilization portion () preferably has a surface which is equipped for enhancing osseointegration. The anchorage portions () have a greater thickness (T) and a greater depth (D) than the stabilization portion (). Then the fusion device is pushed between the articular surfaces and mechanical vibration, in particular ultrasonic vibration, is applied to the proximal face () of the fusion device. Thereby the liquefiable material is liquefied where in contact with the bone tissue and penetrates into the bone tissue, where after re-solidification it constitutes a positive fit connection between the fusion device and the bone tissue.

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Winterthur, Switzerland

Andrea Mueller