Sulzer Orthopedics Inc.

Mark B Lester

James W Burrows

John L Wheeler

Douglas G Nuelle

Mark T Dahl

Sam Morgan

Erroll Sweat

Steve Brown

Stuart Weikel

Mark E Milburn

A distal femoral osteotomy system and method according to which an end segment is cut from the bone to be realigned and a wedge-shaped segment is cut from between the end segment and the remaining portion of the bone. The wedge-shaped segment is cut so that it has an angled surface substantially corresponding to the angle of malalignment. The wedge-shaped segment is discarded and the severed end segment is repositioned relative to the remaining portion of the bone at an angle corresponding to the angle of malalignment to realign the end segment and the remaining bone portion and correct for the malalignment. A compressive load is then established across the remaining bone portion and the end segment.

Distal femoral osteotomy system and method

An implantable orthopedic prosthesis has a macro/micro-textured bone and soft tissue attachment surface to which a spiked washer is clamped by a threaded bolt received through said washer and threaded into said prosthesis. Soft tissue is secured to the prosthesis by clamping between said washer and said soft tissue attachment surface. The tissue attachment surface is arranged as a regular grid of depressions separated by orthogonal ridges formed by electrodischarge machining of the prosthesis using a machining electrode having a mold-opposite surface texture with a micro-textured roughened surface finish. The spacing of the spikes is and integer multiple of the spacing of the depressions to assure registry of the spikes with the depressions.

Implantable orthopedic prosthesis having tissue attachment surface and

A knee joint balancing instrument. A first body includes a first paddle for engaging a proximal end of a tibial bone. A second body includes a second paddle for engaging a distal end of a femoral bone. A rack is attached to the first body and is moveable relative thereto in a superior-inferior direction. The second body is pivotally mounted to the rack for pivoting about an axis extending in an anterior-posterior direction. A ratchet is connected to the first body and to the rack for selectively restraining movement of the rack in the superior-inferior direction relative to the first body. A pinion is connected to the first body and engages the rack to cause movement of the rack in the superior-inferior direction relative to the first body. Tension can be induced in the medial and lateral soft tissues of the knee joint by moving the rack, the tension being evenly distributed between the medial and lateral condyles of the knee joint by the pivot mounting of the second paddle, such that an imbalanced response of the medial and lateral soft tissues to a balanced tensile load is indicated.

Instrument for evaluating balance of knee joint

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Austin, TX, United States of America

Mark B Lester