Modular humeral prosthesis for reconstruction of the humerus

A method of implanting a modular humeral prosthesis into a patient to repair a humeral head fracture, using a set of modular humeral prosthesis components, said method comprising the steps of:

• providing a set of modular humeral prosthesis components, including a fracture cap, a bone securement structure attachable to said fracture cap and serving to fixedly secure reassembled bone fragments of the natural humeral head to said fracture cap to reconstruct the natural humeral head, a prosthesis humeral head and a proximal humeral component;
• inspecting said humeral head fracture;
• selecting for implantation, based on the severity of said fracture, one of said fracture cap and said prosthetic humeral head;
• and
• fitting the prosthesis into the patient by insertion of the proximal humeral component into the patient's humeral shaft and undertaking one of a reconstructing the bone fragments of the patient's natural humeral head by assembling the bone fragments onto the fracture cap, fixedly securing the fragments on the fracture cap with said bone securement structure to reconstruct the natural humeral head, and disposing the fracture cap on the proximal humeral component;
• and (b) replacing the natural humeral head with said prosthetic humeral head and disposing the prosthetic humeral head on the proximal humeral component.

A set of modular components for implantation of a humeral prosthesis into a humerus of a patient, the humerus including a natural humeral shaft and a natural humeral head, said set comprising:

• a proximal humeral component including a distal stem section and a platform disposed on an upper end of said distal stem section, said platform disposed at an angle to said distal stem section, said proximal humeral component including a tapered projection disposed on said platform;
• a fracture cap, said fracture cap having a peripheral wall and an end wall defining a tapered opening within said fracture cap, said tapered opening having generally the same shape as said tapered projection, said fracture cap removably disposed on said proximal humeral component by fitting said projection within said opening to create a frictional taper lock;
• a bone securement structure attacheble to said fracture cap serving to fixedly secure reassembled bone fragments of the natural humeral head to said fracture cap to reconstruct the natural humeral head;
• and
• a prosthetic humeral head having a tapered opening, said tapered opening of said prosthetic humeral head having generally the same shape as said tapered projection, said prosthetic humeral head being removably disposable on said proximal humeral component by fitting said projection within said opening of said prosthetic humeral head to create a frictional taper lock, whereby, said prosthetic humeral head is interchangeably disposable, with said fracture cap, on said proximal humeral component.