Articular surface implant
AssigneeArthrosurface Incorporated
InventorSteven W. Ek
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An implant for replacing a portion of an articular surface including a load bearing surface and a bone contacting region. The load bearing surface had a contour defined by a first curve string which is based on a contour of the articular surface being replaced in a first plane. The load bearing surface of the implant is further defined by the contour of the articular surface being replaced in a second plane, in which the first and second planes are mutually intersection planes.
Claims13
An implant for replacing a portion of an articular surface comprising:
- a load bearing surface having a contour defined by a first curve string based on a contour of said articular surface in a first plane and a second curve string based on a contour of said articular surface in at least a second plane, wherein said second curve string is swept along said first curve string while maintaining said second curve string normal to said first curve string;
- and
- a bone contacting surface;
- wherein said first curve string is based on a plurality of measurements of the articular surface in the first plane and wherein said second curve string is based on a plurality of measurements of the articular surface in the second plane.
An implant system for replacing a portion of an articular surface comprising;
- an implant having a load bearing surface defined by a first curve string based on a contour of said articular surface in a first plane and a second curve string based on a contour of said articular surface in a second plane, said first and second planes intersecting, wherein said second curve string is swept along said first curve string while maintaining said second curve string normal to said first curve string;
- and
- a fixation element capable of engaging bone and capable of being coupled to said implant;
- wherein said first curve string is based on a plurality of measurements of the articular surface in the first plane and wherein said second curve string is based on a plurality of measurements of the articular surface in the second plane.
A method of forming an implant comprising:
- measuring a contour of an articular surface in a first plane based on a plurality of measurements of the articular surface in the first plane;
- measuring a contour of said articular surface in a second plane based on a plurality of measurements of the articular surface in the second plane, and
- providing an implant body having a load bearing surface, said load bearing surface having a contour defined by said contour of said articular surface in said second plane swept along said contour of said articular surface in said first plane while maintaining said second plane normal to said first plane.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.