Patent ID: 8475456

Claim:
An intramedullary implant for use between a pair of adjacent bone parts, the implant extending along an axis and being unitarily formed, the implant comprising: a generally triangular median zone having axially opposite ends and having a pair of side faces converging from one end toward an opposite end to form an abutment, the abutment having a width, said abutment adapted to be positioned against a surface of one of the bone parts; two fixation zones made from a shape-memory material, each fixation zone including a respective pair of tabs projecting longitudinally outward and away from each of the ends, the tabs of each pair being displaceable between an outer position in which they are widely spaced and diverge from each other axially away from the median zone and an inner position in which they are closely spaced, wherein the pairs of tabs made from shape-memory material assume the outer position at body temperature through shape-memory action, wherein one of the pairs of tabs projects longitudinally outward and away from an end of the median zone forming the abutment, and has a width adjacent to the abutment, such that the width of the pair of tabs projecting from the end forming the abutment is less than the width of the abutment.