Metatarsal implant

A system for customizing a metatarsal implant for repairing damage in a metatarsophalangeal joint of a patient, the metatarsal implant being adapted to be attached to an implant receiving surface which has been created on a metatarsal head of the patient by sawing off sections of the metatarsal head, the system comprising at least one processor configured to:

• obtain a three-dimensional image representation of the metatarsophalangeal joint of the patient based on medical images generated using a medical imaging system;
• determine damage to the metatarsophalangeal joint of the patient by analyzing medical images generated using a medical imaging system;
• and
• determine the shape and dimensions of a customized metatarsal implant suitable for repairing said determined damage, using said three-dimensional image representation of the metatarsophalangeal joint, by designing a bone contacting surface of the metatarsal implant to correspond to the implant receiving surface, and generating the contour curvature of the articulating surface based on the determined surface curvature of the cartilage and/or the bone in a predetermined area at the site of diseased cartilage and/or bone, to mimic the original, undamaged, articulating surface of the metatarsal head.

A method for customizing a metatarsal implant for repairing damage in a metatarsophalangeal joint of a patient, the metatarsal implant being adapted to be attached to an implant receiving surface which has been created on a metatarsal head of the patient by sawing off sections of the metatarsal head, the method comprising:

• obtaining a three-dimensional image representation of the metatarsophalangeal joint based on medical images generated using a medical imaging system;
• determining damage to the metatarsophalangeal joint by analyzing medical images generated using a medical imaging system;
• and
• determining the shape and dimensions of a customized metatarsal implant suitable for repairing said determined damage, using said three-dimensional image representation of the metatarsophalangeal joint, by designing a bone contacting surface of the metatarsal implant to correspond to the implant receiving surface, and generating the contour curvature of the articulating surface based on the determined surface curvature of the cartilage and/or the bone in a predetermined area at the site of diseased cartilage and/or bone, to mimic the original, undamaged, articulating surface of the metatarsal head.

A method for attaching a metatarsal implant to an implant receiving surface on a metatarsal head, for repairing damage in a metatarsophalangeal joint of a patient, the method comprising:

• attaching at least one metatarsal saw guide to the metatarsal bone, the metatarsal saw guide comprising a contact surface configured to have a shape and contour that is designed to correspond to and to fit the actual contour of the metatarsal bone in a predetermined area of the metatarsal bone;
• creating an implant receiving surface on the metatarsal head by sawing off sections of the metatarsal head, using the at least one metatarsal saw guide;
• removing the at least one metatarsal saw guide from the metatarsal bone;
• using a metatarsal implant dummy for verifying that the implant receiving surface has the correct size and shape for receiving the metatarsal implant;
• attaching a metatarsal drill guide to the metatarsal bone, the metatarsal drill guide comprising a contact surface configured to have a shape and contour that is designed to correspond to and to fit the implant receiving surface on the metatarsal head;
• drilling a recess for an implant peg extending from a bone contacting surface of the metatarsal implant;
• removing the metatarsal drill guide from the metatarsal bone;
• placing the metatarsal implant on the implant receiving surface on the metatarsal head;
• pressing the metatarsal implant to the implant receiving surface using an insert tool;
• and
• removing the insert tool.