Ratcheting Expandable Corpectomy/Vertebrectomy Cage

An expandable medical implant for supporting bone structures, the implant having an overall implant height adjustable along a longitudinal axis, the implant comprising:

• a first member, a second member, and a nonthreaded third member,
• the first member having a first outer end configured to cooperatively engage a first bone structure and a first inner end configured to engage the second member;
• the second member having a second outer end configured to cooperatively engage a second bone structure and a second inner end configured to engage the first member, the second member being axially moveable along the longitudinal axis relative to the first member to increase the overall implant height, the second member including an elastically deformable portion that elastically deforms during the axial movement;
• the nonthreaded third member translatable without rotation in the direction of the longitudinal axis to interface with the second member to selectively inhibit deformation of the elastically deformable portion to inhibit axial movement and an increase in the overall implant height, the third member being disposed apart from the first member so as to not directly interface with the first member.

An expandable medical implant for supporting bone structures, the implant having an overall implant height adjustable along a longitudinal axis, the implant comprising:

• a first member, a second member, and a third member,
• the first member having a first outer end configured to cooperatively engage a first bone structure and a first inner end configured to engage the second member;
• the second member having a second outer end configured to cooperatively engage a second bone structure and a second inner end configured to engage the first member, the second member being axially moveable along the longitudinal axis relative to the first member to increase the overall implant height;
• the third member translatable without rotation with respect to the first outer end in the direction of the longitudinal axis to directly interface with only one of the first and second members and being configured to apply a distributed radial load directly against only one of the first and second members that increases frictional resistance between the first and second members to selectively inhibit axial movement and an increase in the overall implant height.

An expandable medical implant for supporting bone structures, the implant having an overall implant height adjustable along a longitudinal axis, the implant comprising:

• a first member having a first outer end, a first inner end, and a first main body extending therebetween, the first outer end being configured to cooperatively engage a first bone structure, the first main body having the longitudinal axis;
• a second member having a second outer end, a second inner end, and a second main body extending therebetween, the second outer end being configured to cooperatively engage a second bone structure, the second inner end being configured to receive the first inner end of the first member, the second member being moveable along the longitudinal axis relative to the first member,
• wherein one of the first and second main bodies includes a plurality of teeth and the other of the first and second main bodies includes at least one tooth,
• and wherein at least a portion of one of the first and second main bodies is elastically deformable to selectively engage and disengage the at least one tooth and the plurality of teeth,
• wherein the at least one tooth and the plurality of teeth are shaped to deform the elastically deformable portion to selectively engage and disengage the at least one tooth and the plurality of teeth when both increasing and when decreasing the overall implant height by moving the second member relative to the first member along the longitudinal axis.