Patent ID: 8870965

Claim:
A bone implant system comprising: a light-sensitive liquid; a light source for providing light energy; a light-conducting fiber for delivering the light energy from the light source to cure the light-sensitive liquid; a delivery catheter having a proximal end in communication with the light-conducting fiber and the light-sensitive liquid, an inner lumen for passage of the light-conducting fiber, and an inner void for passage of the light-sensitive liquid; and an expandable body removably attached to a distal end of the delivery catheter, wherein the expandable body has a closed end, a sealable open end, an inner cavity for passage of the light-sensitive liquid, an external surface and an internal surface, wherein the expandable body has an insertion depth with a fixed dimension, a width with a fixed dimension, and a distraction thickness with a changeable dimension, wherein the insertion depth is a length between the sealable end and the closed end of the expandable body, wherein entry of the light-sensitive liquid into the inner cavity of the expandable body changes the dimension of the distraction thickness, without changing the dimension of the insertion depth and the dimension of the width of the expandable body; and wherein, when the light-sensitive liquid is cured inside the inner cavity of the expandable body, the expandable body is removable from the delivery catheter to form a rigid photodynamic bone implant to provide distraction and support to the bone.