Surgically implantable knee prothesis
First Claim
1. A meniscal load distribution device suitable for an arthroscopically assisted implantation into a meniscal cavity of one compartment of a knee joint between a femoral condyle and the respective tibial plateau, said meniscal device comprising a high modulus material having a hardness greater than about Shore D 60, said meniscal device being substantially elliptical in plan, and having a concave femoral meniscal surface, a convex tibial meniscal surface, and a periphery defined by lateral, medial, anterior, and posterior portions, the periphery being on average of greater thickness than a central portion of the meniscal device, said femoral meniscal surface having a contour such that the contour angle of said femoral meniscal surface is approximately the same as the contour angle of said femoral condyle, relative to the contour angle of the tibial plateau, said tibial meniscal surface having a contour such that the contour angle is substantially the same as the contour angle of said tibial plateau.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A self-centering meniscal prosthesis device suitable for minimally invasive, surgical implantation into the cavity between a femoral condyle and the corresponding tibial plateau is composed of a hard, high modulus material shaped such that the contour of the device and the natural articulation of the knee exerts a restoring force on the free-floating device.
726 Citations
34 Claims
- 1. A meniscal load distribution device suitable for an arthroscopically assisted implantation into a meniscal cavity of one compartment of a knee joint between a femoral condyle and the respective tibial plateau, said meniscal device comprising a high modulus material having a hardness greater than about Shore D 60, said meniscal device being substantially elliptical in plan, and having a concave femoral meniscal surface, a convex tibial meniscal surface, and a periphery defined by lateral, medial, anterior, and posterior portions, the periphery being on average of greater thickness than a central portion of the meniscal device, said femoral meniscal surface having a contour such that the contour angle of said femoral meniscal surface is approximately the same as the contour angle of said femoral condyle, relative to the contour angle of the tibial plateau, said tibial meniscal surface having a contour such that the contour angle is substantially the same as the contour angle of said tibial plateau.
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23. A process for the preparation of a unicompartmental meniscal load distribution device suitable for implantation into a knee joint, between a femoral condyle and its corresponding tibial plateau, said process comprising:
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a) determining the geometry of said femoral condyle by a non-invasive imaging technique;
b) determining the geometry of said corresponding tibial plateau;
c) molding a meniscal load distribution device which is dimensioned to fit within the compartment defined on its top and bottom surfaces by the geometry of said femoral condyle and said tibial plateau, said device being substantially elliptical in shape, and having a concave femoral meniscal surface, a convex tibial meniscal surface, and a posterior thickness which is equal to or greater than a lateral and an anterior thickness, said femoral meniscal surface having a contour angle which is substantially equal to the contour angle of said femoral condyle relative to the tibial plateau.
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- 24. A prosthetic device suitable for unicompartmental implantation into the knee joint of a patient, said device comprising a hard, rigid device substantially elliptical in plan with a periphery whose average thickness is greater than the portion of the central portion of said device of lowest thickness, said device having an uppermost concave femoral meniscal surface having generally the contour of the femoral condyle of the knee compartment into which said device is to be inserted, a lowermost convex tibial meniscal surface, said periphery defined by lateral, medial, anterior, and posterior portions, said device free of anchoring devices attached to bone, cartilage, ligaments, or other tissue, said device thus being capable of translation, rotation, or both translation and rotation in the compartment cavity, the femoral meniscal surface and tibial meniscal surface contoured such that the device is self-centering between the femoral condyle and tibial plateau of said compartment.
Specification