Patent ID: 8268004

Claim:
A method of implanting an expandable medical implant, the method comprising: providing the expandable medical implant comprising: a first tubular member with a connection end including a first set of protrusions and an opposite skeletal interface end; and a second tubular member with a connection end including a second set of protrusions configured to engage with the connection end of the first tubular member, the second tubular member including an opposite end opposite from the connection end, wherein at least one of the first and second set of protrusions includes a relief cut; translating one of the first and second tubular members relative to the other tubular member by flexing one of the first and second tubular members via the relief cut to coarsely expand the implant wherein flexing one of the first and second tubular members includes flexing inwardly toward a central longitudinal axis of the expandable implant; and rotating the first tubular member relative to the second tubular member via engagement of the first and second sets of protrusions to finely expand the implant.