Abstract: An implant, in particular an intervertebral prosthesis, which consists of an elongated elastic body which is form-elastic and takes on the form of a spiral S in the force free state. The spiral can be drawn by a reverse winding up into an insertion instrument which is only insubstantially larger in the insertion region than the cross-section of the elongated elastic body in order to reach the inner space of an intervertebral disc through a small opening in the annulus fibrosus and to push in and sever off the self winding spiral when the interior is filled. This has the advantage that inner spaces of differing sizes can be filled with the same spiral.

Abstract: The invention deals with an implant, in particular, an intervertebral prosthesis, which consists of an elongated elastic body which is form-elastic and takes on the form of a spiral S in the force-free state. The spiral can be drawn by a reverse winding up into an insertion instrument which is only unsubstantially larger in the insertion region than the cross-section of the elongated elastic body in order to reach the inner space of an intervertebral disc through a small opening in the annulus fibrosus and to push in and sever off the self-winding spiral when the interior is filled. This has the advantage that inner spaces of differing sizes can be filled with the same spiral.

Abstract: The invention shows a filling transfer apparatus for bone cement with a cylindrical, upwardly open mixing container (1) and a filling transfer piston (2) which can be inserted therein, which is removably connected to the sleeve (4) of a cement injector (3) and which has an opening (5) through which the mixed bone cement (6) can be transferred into the sleeve (4) through a pressing down of the filling transfer piston (2). In this an ejection piston (7) is inserted in the sleeve (4) and has an aperture (8) in the region of the opening (5) for the through-flowing cement which can be closed by a plug (9) after the removal of the cement injector (3).

Abstract: UHMW polyethylene for implants which are intended for a sterilization by means of &ggr; rays or electron beams are doped with vitamin E during the manufacture, which binds off the free radicals faster than the oxygen from the surroundings after the irradiation and thus prevents an oxidation and aging of the implants. A starting material in powder form is wetted at its surface with a liquid which has a suitable amount of vitamin E in order to achieve a concentration K of vitamin E of 0.01%<K<1% on the polyethylene particles. After the evaporation of the liquid the PE powder is compressed to blocks or processed to rods at temperatures around 180° C.-240° C. and pressures from 2-10 MPa.

Abstract: The shaft prosthesis (1) has a distal section (2) with a substantially circular cross-section and a proximal section (3) adjoining this distal section (2). A rib (4) is located at the lateral side of the prosthesis and protrudes in the ventral direction. The proximal section (3) enlarges in the upward direction. A neck (5) is provided in the upper end region on which a joint ball can be attached. The diameter of the shaft prosthesis (1) enlarges substantially conically on all sides starting from the distal end of the shaft prosthesis (1).

Abstract: The invention shows a filling transfer apparatus for bone cement with a cylindrical, upwardly open mixing container and a filling transfer piston which can be inserted therein, which is removably connected to the sleeve of a cement injector and which has an opening through which the mixed bone cement can be transferred into the sleeve through a pressing down of the filling transfer piston. In this an ejection piston is inserted in the sleeve and has an aperture in the region of the opening for the through-flowing cement which can be closed by a plug (9) after the removal of the cement injector.

Abstract: With the invention a modular system for the mounting of shaft prostheses is shown which have a coupling which can be fixed within a predetermined angular range between the prosthesis stem and the prosthesis head, which can be fixed by an apparatus in the prosthesis stem. Through a modular system with combinable stems and prosthesis heads of differing sizes for prostheses and test prostheses which are constructionally alike externally and in the position of the point of rotation, a variety of test prostheses and shaft prostheses arises. The test prostheses have an apparatus in the prosthesis head which permit the fixing of the head in an ideal position with a controllable function in a stem inserted in a bone. This position between the head and the stem is preserved when the test prosthesis is extracted and transferred to a mounting apparatus, in which a shaft prosthesis which is built up of analogous parts is brought into the same position and fixed.

Abstract: A surface for a metal implant has a coarse structure of elevations and depressions, with the surface being permeated by a network of protruding ribs which form nodes and interstices or meshes having an interstice width of 2 mm to 0.4 mm, while the depressions represent sections of spherical cavities. The nodes of the ribs can protrude the furthest like mountain peaks, whereas the ribs which connect two nodes each form a lower lying saddle if the spherical cavities penetrate one another slightly. Through coating with an electrochemically resistant protective lacquer, into which holes can be shot at a predetermined spacing without damaging the metal, with a laser for example, a coarsely structured intermediary surface can be economically provided by means of electrochemical erosion which receives a fine structure through sand blasting.

Abstract: With the invention, tubular support bodies for bridging two adjacent vertebrae are shown. Two cages (1, 2) which are placed one within the other are provided with cut-outs, and each of them has a support flange (5) at the outer end face (6). A first cage (1) has at least three radially projecting protrusions (7) at its jacket (9a) which can be introduced into three axially extending lead-in channels (8) or a multiple thereof in the jacket (9b) of the other cage (2) in order to be able to reach latch-in positions (10, 11, 12) of different depths.

Abstract: With the invention blocking systems for the medullary canal (1) of a tubular bone (2) are shown which have a blocking element (5) in order to hold bone cement (3) back from cemented prosthesis shafts (4). Because a deformable plug (6) which can be decomposed in the body is placed on between the blocking element (15) and the shaft end (7), which prevents an advance of liquid bone cement (3) in the capacity of a fill-in and which permits a penetration of the end (7) of the prosthesis shaft (4), a cement socket without a base arises which permits settling movements of the shaft in the hardened bone cement.

Abstract: An implant, in particular an intervertebral prosthesis, which consists of an elongated elastic body which is form-elastic and takes on the form of a spiral S in the force free state. The spiral can be drawn by a reverse winding up into an insertion instrument which is only insubstantially larger in the insertion region than the cross-section of the elongated elastic body in order to reach the inner space of an intervertebral disc through a small opening in the annulus fibrosus and to push in and sever off the self winding spiral when the interior is filled. This has the advantage that inner spaces of differing sizes can be filled with the same spiral.

Abstract: With the invention, a geometry is described which makes it possible to use similar, wear-resistant, metallic materials such as PROTASUL 21 WF for a bearing shell (1) and a joint ball (2) in a spherical bearing without micro-weldings and without excessive wear arising, while other properties such as toughness, stability of shape and elasticity can be exploited for the function. Micro-weldings of the similar metallic materials are largely prevented by a suitable relationship between the average radii R.sub.m, r.sub.m of the bearing surfaces A and B as well as of the permissible deviations (12, 13) in shape and of the permissible roughness of the bearing surfaces.

Abstract: With the invention a mounting system is shown for metallic support shells at implantable joints with pin-like metallic anchoring elements. The anchoring elements have a head which lies on a shoulder of the implant in the axial direction. Between the shoulder and the head there is a circular sealing edge. A contact pressure force is produced on the head by a contact pressure generating screw which is so great that a metallic seal is produced through plastic flow at the scaling edge which is liquid-tight and prevents the intrusion of abraded particles from the inner region of the support shell.

Abstract: A knee joint prosthesis (1) comprises a tibia part (1) having a tibia bearing surface (10) and a bearing body (3) which is slidingly displaceably journalled on the tibia bearing surface (10) and which has bearing scallops (31) on its side which is remote from the tibia bearing surface (10). Furthermore, it comprises a femur part (5) which is movably arranged on the bearing scallops (31) of the bearing body (3) as well as comprising a guide piece (2) which is arranged to be rotationally fixed relative to the tibia part (1) and which permits only a displacement of the bearing body (3) in the sagittal direction relative to the tibia bearing surface (1). Furthermore, it comprises a coupling member which cooperates both with the guide piece (2) and with the femur part (5) and permits a rotation of the femur part (5) on the bearing body (3).

Abstract: With the invention a modular instrument system for knee joint prostheses is shown. A shaft (1), which can be provisorily but rotationally fixedly anchored along the anatomical axis (4) of the distal femur bone (2), terminates in the direction towards the joint with a collar (6). A parallel guide (7) is provided in the direction of a mechanical axis (9) from the collar (6) towards the interior of the shaft (1), which stands off by a guide angle a towards the medial to the shaft axis, which coincides with the anatomical axis (4). A coupling piece (10) with a projecting guide part (8) which is displaceably journalled in the parallel guide (7) serves as a reception for manipulation condyles (23) in order to test and determine the ideal position with respect to a tibia platform in the end positions of the articulation before resection blocks are positioned with the fixed coupling piece (10) for the final resection. The collar (6) is particularly advantageous in re-operations as a reference abutment (30).

Abstract: The invention shows a hip joint socket and its manufacture, with the hip joint socket including a thin walled metallic outer shell with anchoring pins which is firmly connected to an inner shell of plastic. Since the bearing surface of the inner shell is not produced until after the assembly, a high accuracy of shape of the bearing surface results together with a relatively elastic outer shell and with good anchoring aids for a primary anchoring.

Abstract: An instrument (1) for the introduction of an inlay (E) of an implant, in particular of an artificial hip joint socket (HP), into the associated shell (S) of this implant, comprises a bar (2) which has a holder (5) at its distal end for holding the inlay (E) firmly. Furthermore, it comprises an actuating member (3, 30) for releasing the inlay (E) into the shell (S). The holder apparatus (5) comprises at least three resilient lamella (50) which point in the axial direction, are arranged in such a manner that their free ends point away from the bar (2) and are shaped in such a manner that they form a snap connection together with the inlay (E) when holding the inlay (E).

Abstract: A transport and processing apparatus for a two-component material, in particular for bone cement, has a liquid component (1) and a powder component (2) which are separated by a membrane (3) and each occupy a transport chamber (4, 5) in a closeable container (6, 7) which has an expulsion piston (8) at one end and an opening (9) for the expulsion of mixed two-component material at the opposite end. The transport chamber (4) for the liquid component has a ring shape and a central aperture (34) for expelling the mixed two-component material through the aperture (34). The membrane is destroyed by a relative movement between the transport chamber for the liquid component (1) and a solid body (12, 17) enclosed in the container in order to effect a flow of the liquid component (1) into the transport chamber (5) for the powder component (2) and to enable the mixing with a mixing piston (11).

Abstract: The invention is shown by a tibia platform comprising a metallic lower part and different bearing parts made of plastic which can be anchored to one another at a posterior position via an open hinge joint. The bearing part has a guide rib for guiding femur condyles which projects upwards by a height of at least 15 mm above the lowest point of the sliding surfaces. Large lateral forces such as occur in high guide ribs and in varus and valgus positions of the knee can be taken up because of a separate metallic pawls which engages at a horizontal projection of the lower part at a distance "1" away from the hinge joint. The pawl is displaceably journalled with respect to the bearing part and is permanently positionable by means of auxiliary means by an enforced movement into a latched position at the projection.

Abstract: The invention shows a surface (2) for a metal implant (1) which has a coarse structure of elevations (3) and depressions (4), with the surface (2) being permeated by a network (5) of protruding ribs which form nodes (7) and interstices or meshes (8) having an interstice width of 2 mm to 0.4 mm, while the depressions represent sections of spherical cavities (11). The nodes (7) of the ribs can protrude the furthest like mountain peaks, whereas the ribs (6) which connect two nodes (7) each form a lower lying saddle (10) if the spherical cavities penetrate one another slightly. Through coating with an electrochemically resistant protective lacquer, into which holes can be shot at a predetermined spacing without damaging the metal, with a laser for example, a coarsely structured intermediary surface can be economically provided by means of electrochemical erosion which receives a fine structure through sand blasting.