Prosthetic element for bone extremities such as fingers or toes, or for teeth, and corresponding production method

• US 9,949,834 B2
• Filed: 04/08/2013
• Issued: 04/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Limacorporate S.p.a (Enovis Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Limacorporate S.p.a (Enovis Corp.)
• Inventors: Pressacco, Michele
• Primary Examiner(s): Crow, Stephen R
• Assistant Examiner(s): ATKINSON, GARRETT K
• Application Number:
  US14/390,989
• Publication Number:
  US 20150118650A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,842 Days
• Field of Search: 433167, 433191-195, 4332011, 433218-223, 433225
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 2008/0046 Textured surface, e.g. roughness, microstructure A61C8/0013 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 8/0037 Details of the shape
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 8/0075 Implant heads specially designed for receiving an upper structure if separable from the implant A61C8/005
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/30767 Special external or bone-contacting surface, e.g. coating for improving bone ingrowth
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/30771 applied in original prostheses, e.g. holes or grooves
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/3094 Designing or manufacturing processes
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/4225 for feet, e.g. toes
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/4241 for hands, e.g. fingers
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30011 differing in porosity
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30331 made by longitudinally pushing a protrusion into a complementarily-shaped recess, e.g. held by friction fit
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30649 Ball-and-socket joints
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30909 Nets
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/3092 having an open-celled or open-pored structure
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/3093 for promoting ingrowth of bone tissue
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30968 Sintering
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/3097 using laser
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30985 using three dimensional printing [3DP]
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/28 Powder bed fusion, e.g. selective laser melting [SLM] or electron beam melting [EBM]
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 2003/1051 by electric discharge
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 3/1103 with particular physical characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 10/00 : Processes of additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 80/00 : Products made by additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 10/25 : Process efficiency

Abstract

Prosthetic element for bone extremities such as fingers or toes, or teeth, comprising a trabecular part (20, 40, 120) and two end parts or stumps (12, 34, 112; 15, 39, 115).

Claims

1. Prosthetic element for small bone extremities, comprising:

a coupling stump disposed at a first end of said prosthetic element, an insertion stump disposed at a second end of the prosthetic element and shaped for insertion into a corresponding seating made inside the bone, a structural internal core comprising a solid body disposed intermediate between said stumps, and a trabecular part suitable for bone integration and disposed so as to cover and line said internal core to form in a single body a geometry external to said internal core and having mechanical and structural continuity with said internal core, wherein said coupling stump comprises a lower surface and said insertion stump comprises an upper surface, said trabecular part arranged to be in contact on said upper surface of said insertion stump and in contact with said lower surface of said coupling stump, and wherein said internal core, said insertion stump and said coupling stump comprise a single and continuous body.

2. Prosthetic element as in claim 1, wherein said coupling stump is configured in shape and size so as to define at least a seating for a joint of at least a finger or a toe.

3. Prosthetic element as in claim 1, wherein said coupling stump is configured in shape and size to couple with a dental prosthesis.

4. Prosthetic element as in claim 3, wherein said coupling stump comprises a shaped surface with a configuration chosen between an embedded hexagon shape, an external hexagon shape and a conical surface.

5. Prosthetic element as in claim 1, wherein said trabecular part comprises pores sized in a range between 100 microns and 300 microns and having an average size comprised between 230 microns and 290 microns.

6. Prosthetic element as in claim 5, wherein said trabecular part is defined at least in part by the repetition of a three-dimensional base cell the vertexes of which are not coplanar.

7. Method to make the prosthetic element of claim 1, the method comprising a fusion step, the fusion step comprising using either a beam of electrons, laser rays to simultaneously make the coupling stump, the insertion stump, the core, and the trabecular part to make a single body with structural and mechanical continuity, the method including using layers of material in a powder state and causing the fusion thereof, said layers of powder having a thickness comprised between 20 microns and 70 microns.

8. Method as in claim 7, wherein said powder with which said layers are made has a particle size comprised between 25 microns and 45 microns.

9. Method as in claim 7, wherein said powder with which said layers are made has a particle size comprised between 45 microns and 100 microns.

10. Prosthetic element for a bone extremity comprising:

a coupling stump disposed at a first end of the prosthetic element and being shaped to define a seating to permit articulation of the bone extremity, the coupling stump including a lower surface;

an insertion stump disposed at a second end of the prosthetic element, the insertion stump sized and shaped for insertion into a corresponding seating provided in the bone extremity, the coupling stump including an upper surface;

an internal core consisting of a solid body disposed intermediate between the coupling stump and the insertion stump, the solid body extending to the coupling stump adjacent the first end and to the insertion stump to adjacent the second end;

a trabecular part comprising a lattice structure arranged for bone integration, the trabecular part disposed about and surrounding the internal core, the trabecular part and the internal core forming a continuous integral structure;

the trabecular part couples to the lower surface of the coupling stump and to the upper surface of the insertion stump; and

wherein the internal core, the insertion stump, the coupling stump, and the trabecular part form a finished element obtained in a substantially continuous production step;

and further wherein the coupling stump, the insertion stump, the internal core, and the trabecular part are structurally a single and continuous body.

11. Prosthetic element as in claim 10, Wherein the insertion stump, the coupling stump, the trabecular part, and the core are all formed of the same base material.