Method and implant for replacing damaged meniscal tissue
AssigneeDePuy Synthes Products, Inc.
InventorsPhilippe Gedet, Beat Lechmann, Nicolas Bouduban
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for replacing damaged meniscal tissue includes a meniscus implant including a porous body having a plurality of interconnected open micro-pores and one or more open cavities for receiving meniscal tissue. The interconnected micro-pores are arranged to allow fluid to flow into the porous body and are in fluid communication with the one or more open cavities.
Claims5
A meniscus implant for replacing damaged meniscal tissue, comprising:
- a substantially C-shaped porous body comprising an outer convex peripheral surface, an inner concave peripheral surface, an upper surface, a lower surface, and a cross-sectional area in a plane orthogonal to the lower surface which tapers from the outer convex peripheral surface to the inner concave peripheral surface, the porous body having a plurality of interconnected open micro-pores arranged to allow fluid to flow into the porous body and a plurality of open cavities equally spaced along the porous body for receiving meniscal tissue,
- wherein each of the plurality of open cavities penetrates through the porous body from the upper surface to the lower surface, wherein each of the plurality of open cavities having a diameter between about 1.5 mm and about 5.5 mm,
- wherein the interconnected micro-pores are open at the outer convex peripheral surface, the inner concave peripheral surface, the upper surface, and the lower surface, the micro-pores having a diameter between about 120 μm and about 370 μm,
- wherein the interconnected micro-pores are in fluid communication with the plurality of open cavities,
- wherein the porous body further comprises one or more transverse passages penetrating through the porous body and through the cavities from the outer convex peripheral surface to the inner concave peripheral surface.
The meniscus implant 1, wherein the cavities are cylindrical or prismatical and have a longitudinal axis each that extends essentially orthogonally to the lower surface of the porous body.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.