Patent ID: 8328871

Claim:
An expandable medical implant for supporting bone structures, the implant having an overall implant height adjustable along a longitudinal axis, the implant comprising: an outer member being configured to cooperatively engage a first bone structure; an inner member receivable in the outer member and movable relative to the outer member to increase and decrease the overall implant height, the inner member being configured to cooperatively engage a second bone structure, wherein one of the outer and inner members includes a tapered surface and the other of the outer and inner members includes a scalloped roughened locking surface; and a locking element disposed between the tapered surface and the roughened locking surface, the tapered surface being longitudinally movable relative to the locking element to shift the locking element in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis into engagement with the roughened locking surface to inhibit a decrease in the overall implant height.