Acetabular cup, method and tool and installing the same

Abstract

An acetabular cup having an outer shell of a hard material defining a cavity circumscribed by an annular surface, and a bearing insert of a material which is softer than the material of the outer shell, the bearing insert being disposed within the cavity of the shell, and coupling tracks disposed on the annular surface for coupling a tool to the outer shell, the tool being used for installing the cup in a patient's acetabulum, the coupling tracks operating to prevent the tool from damaging the bearing insert during the installation of the cup. The tool for installing the acetabular cup of the present invention, comprises a handle for aligning and driving the acetabular cup into a patient's acetabulum which control the rotational, pivotal and axial alignment and an adaptor for coupling the handle to the acetabular cup, the adaptor having leg members for engaging the corresponding coupling tracks positioned on the annular surface of the outer shell when the leg members are brought into contact with the annular surface of the outer shell and the adaptor is rotated relative to the acetabular cup.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.