104 results about "Joint fusion" patented technology

Methods of stabilizing the sacroiliac joint by placing an expandable device in the joint to generate laterally opposing forces against the iliac and sacral surfaces of the SI joint to securely seat the device in a plane generally parallel to the SI joint. The expandable device is coated with or otherwise contains a bone material to promote fusion of the joint. The expandable device used in methods of the present invention can be, for example, an expandable cage, a balloon, a balloon-expandable stent or a self-expanding stent.

An expandable implant is disclosed having an adjustable height for insertion between two adjacent bony structures or joint surfaces, for example between two adjacent spinal vertebrae. The implant includes at least one gear associated with at least one threaded shaft. Rotation of the gear engages the threaded shaft to expand the implant. The implant can be inserted in a collapsed configuration and expanded in situ. The invention also provides methods for using the implant to facilitate arthrodesis or fusion of adjacent joint surfaces or spinal vertebrae.

A method of performing surgery to enable joint fusion by preparing bony surfaces of a joint to create an enlarged space between sides of the joint in which subchondral bone of the joint is exposed, inserting a hollow structural implant, having at least two large fenestrations which are located on substantially opposite sides of the implant into the enlarged space so that the implant contacts the subchondral bone and orientating the implant so that the large fenestrations are located adjacent the subchondral bone on respective sides of the joint.

Resection guides, implants and methods are disclosed. A guide may include a plate with a first end opposite a second end and a medial portion extending therebetween. The guide may also include at least one opening in the first end of the plate. The guide may further include at least one hole positioned along a longitudinal axis of the plate near the at least one opening. Surgical methods for using the guide for bone and joint fusions is also disclosed.

A device is provided including a distal nail portion and a proximal nail portion that can be connected to each other to attain a rigid configuration. The device is to be placed internally within the medullary cavities of at least two bones forming a joint to accomplish arthrodesis of the joint. The device is placed intramedullarily in order to minimize incision size, excessive bone resection and post-operative tendon damage and tenderness. Additionally, one particular method for using the device is provided that includes placing and affixing the distal nail in a bone of a joint, placing the proximal nail in another bone of a joint, connecting the distal nail to the proximal nail, doing the desired geometrical adjustments, affixing the proximal nail to the distal nail by tightening the connection and affixing the proximal nail to the other bone of the joint to attain a rigid configuration.

The present disclosure presents novel methods, procedures associated steps, and apparatuses to accomplish SI joint fusion in a minimally invasive manner. The preferred embodiment of the invention incorporates improved methods, procedures and apparatuses to facilitate a SI joint fusion providing a generally safer, more minimally invasive SI joint stabilization. In the method associated with the preferred embodiment of the invention, in one aspect, a path or a plurality of paths through an ilium to the sacrum is established, wherein a stabilizer device allows the securement of the sacrum to the ilium. In another aspect, a path or a plurality of paths to the SI joint is established, where bone fusion material allows fusion of the articular surface of the ilium and the articular surface of the sacrum of an SI joint.

Sacroiliac (SI) joint implants for promoting SI joint fusion and methods of their delivery are described herein. The SI joint implant has a spacer operatively coupled to a planar member having tapered holes to receive fastening elements. When placed in the SI joint, the spacer engages the articular surfaces of the SI joint while the plate traverses the SI joint. The implant is held in place fastening elements, which are inserted through the tapered holes in the planar member. The implant is delivered via an inferior inlet MIS procedure, wherein the SI joint is accessed through an inlet inferior to the SI joint.

A system for preparing the sacroiliac (SI) joint for an SI joint fusion, and optionally delivering an implant to the SI joint, is described herein. The implant is inserted via an inferior inlet approach. A sliding joint finder is inserted into the joint, followed by insertion of a working cannula. The working cannula is operatively coupled to the sliding joint finder, in that it is configured to fit over the sliding joint finder, allowing subsequent removal of the sliding joint finder, and providing a hollow cavity for joint fusion preparation, decortication and insertion of an implant. This system and method provides a less invasive and safer approach for fixing an SI joint or delivering an implant to the SI joint than currently available methods.

An improved joint fusion screw for transiliac fixation has a screw head and extending therefrom an elongate hollow shaft. The hollow shaft has an externally threaded end portion extending to a tip end and a non-externally threaded shank portion having a plurality of window openings. At or near the tip end is a start of a thread with a bone cutting flute. The bone cutting flute has a cutting edge on a circumferential exterior of the threaded tip to cut bone and directs the cut bone internally into a bone receiving opening in the hollow shaft directly in front of the cutting flute. The cutting edge lies at the start of the thread extending radially above the bone receiving opening at least partially overhanging the opening configured to cut bone.

The invention discloses a distributed multi-sensor fusion algorithm based on AMDs. The algorithm comprises the following steps: S1, initializing system parameters; S2, using a constant false alarm detector to process radar echo information to obtain a measurement information set; S3, independently estimating a target state based on a kalman filter, S4, using high dimensional Gaussian distribution to represent the multi-objective joint posterior probability density; S5, carrying out the dimensionality reduction operation on the joint posterior probability density; S6, sending the AMD of each node to the adjacent nodes; S7, fusing the AMDs by using a generalized cross-covariance algorithm; S8, extracting the target state; S9, setting k = k + 1, if k>K, outputting the target state extracted in the S8 as a track; otherwise, returning to step S2. The distributed multi-sensor fusion algorithm realizes the joint fusion of a plurality of targets under the condition that the estimation errors of the different sensors are considered cross-correlated, has higher adaptability and better robustness, and effectively solves the problem of multi-target joint posteriori fusion in the traditional tracking system.

Systems and methods for joint preparation and fusion are disclosed. The system includes a cutting device having a handle, and rigid blade member. The blade member may include cutting edges on first and second sides, and may be curved in one or more planes. The blade member may be deployed to project outside of an outer tube, and the cutting device may be rotated to create a circular cavity. In a method of use, a cannula provides access to a procedure site such as a joint. A pathway to the joint is created, and the cutting device is inserted and deployed to undercut a cavity in the joint. A fusion device may be implanted across the joint to provide compression and fuse the joint. The system may also include instrumentation for creating access to a joint, bone graft insertion and implant insertion.

The invention discloses a determination method for heat source model parameters in multiplewire submerged-arc welding by numerical simulation. The determination method comprises the following steps of: determining a heat-flow density distribution function in the multiplewire submerged-arc welding process; initially determining the heat source model parameters, wherein the heat source model parameters to be determined includes Ui, Ii, v, n, taui, etai, alphai, f<fi>, bi, ci, a<fi>, and a<bi>; and finally determining a heat-source model, wherein the determined parameters are substituted into the heat-flow density distribution function q(x, y, z, t) which is then taken as a thermology boundary condition for repeated iterative computations by a numerical simulation tool, the computation result of iterative computation of each time is compared with the shape of a joint fusion pool obtained by actual welding, the heat-source model parameters bi, ci, a<fi>, a<bi> are gradually adjusted by a range of 5% according to the comparison results until the errors between the parameters of the fusion depth and the fusion width of a simulated fusion pool and the fusion depth and the fusion width of the actual joint fusion pool are smaller than 10%, and then the determination of the heat-source model parameters in the multiplewire submerged-arc welding is finished.

The invention discloses a collaborative iteration joint entity alignment method and device based on a translation model. The method comprises the following steps of processing a plurality of knowledgemaps through a data preprocessing module, carrying out statistics on the data of entities, relationships, attributes, attribute values, relationship triads and attribute triads in the plurality of knowledge maps, and generating an entity alignment seed set according to a preset frequency selection method; generating a relation triple joint embedding space through a relation triple joint embeddingmodule; generating an attribute triple joint embedding space through an attribute triple joint embedding module; selecting a pair of entities with the minimum semantic distance through a collaborative iterative training module to form an entity pair, and adding the entity pair meeting a preset distance threshold value to the entity alignment seed set to update the entity alignment seed set; and carrying out iteration until the entity pairs satisfying a preset distance threshold do not exist. The method can solve the problem of joint fusion of the plurality of knowledge maps and the problem ofthe structure heterogeneous knowledge map and the cross-language knowledge map entity alignment.

Assemblies of one or more implant structures make possible the achievement of diverse interventions involving the fusion and/or stabilization of the SI-joint and/or lumbar and sacral vertebra in a non-invasive manner, with minimal incision, and without the necessitating the removing the intervertebral disc. The representative lumbar spine interventions, which can be performed on adults or children, include, but are not limited to, SI-joint fusion or fixation; lumbar interbody fusion; translaminar lumbar fusion; lumbar facet fusion; trans-iliac lumbar fusion; and the stabilization of a spondylolisthesis.

The invention provides an artificial sacrum prosthesis, which is arranged among lumbar vertebra and left and right ilia of a patient to replace physiological sacrum of the patient and comprises a prosthesis main body, an upper joint fusion surface and left and right ear-shaped joint fusion surfaces. The upper joint fusion surface is arranged on the upper portion of the prosthesis main body and used for being laminated with a lower end plate of the lumbar vertebra of the patient; the left and right ear-shaped joint fusion surfaces are respectively arranged on two sides of the prosthesis main body and used for being respectively laminated with ear-shaped surfaces of the left and right ilia of the patient. The artificial sacrum prosthesis has the main advantages that the joint fusion surfaces are arranged on the upper portion and the two sides of the artificial sacrum prosthesis, are respectively in connection fusion with the physiological lumbar vertebra and the physiological illia of the patient so as to replace the physiological sacrum of the patient, can facilitate osteocyte generation quickly, promotes bone fusion, plays functions of the sacrum, and achieves the purpose of rebuilding stabilization of joints among the lumbar vertebra, the ilia and the sacrum.