Segmented Femoral Prosthesis Core and Casing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current femoral components in hip arthroplasty lack customization to accommodate varying patient anatomies, leading to suboptimal fit and stability, and existing manufacturing methods cannot efficiently produce prostheses with diverse geometries for individual patient needs.
Innovation Solution
The development of femoral prostheses with a core body and a surrounding casing that can be additively manufactured to produce prostheses with identical core bodies but differing geometries, including selectable neck angles, tilt positions, and rotational orientations, allowing for customization to fit specific patient anatomies.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If traditional femoral components are used with fixed geometries, then manufacturing is simpler and inventory is easier to manage, but the fit and stability for individual patient anatomies is suboptimal
Solution Approach 1:
The femoral prosthesis is divided into two distinct segments: a reusable outer casing and a customizable inner core. The outer casing contains standardized engagement features for the acetabulum, while the inner core provides customizable geometry (spherical, ellipsoidal, or asymmetric) to match individual patient anatomies. This segmentation allows the complex customization to be confined to the inner core while maintaining standardized outer dimensions.
Solution Approach 2:
The inner core is nested within the outer casing, with the inner core's customizable geometry positioned concentrically or eccentrically within the standardized outer casing. This nesting arrangement allows the custom-fitted inner core to be protected and delivered within the standardized outer casing, simplifying inventory management while maintaining customization benefits.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple stock keeping units are produced to accommodate different patient anatomies, then customization is improved, but inventory complexity and manufacturing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The outer casing is designed as a universal component that can accommodate multiple types of inner cores (spherical, ellipsoidal, asymmetric) through standardized engagement features. This multi-functionality allows a single outer casing design to serve multiple customization needs, reducing the total number of SKUs required while maintaining adaptability to different patient anatomies.
Solution Approach 2:
Customization is localized to the inner core geometry while the outer casing maintains standardized dimensions and features. This allows the complex anatomical adaptations to be confined to the inner core, which can be manufactured separately and assembled into the standardized outer casing, reducing inventory complexity.
3Manufacturing precision
If additive manufacturing is used to produce customized prostheses, then patient-specific fit is improved, but manufacturing time and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The prosthesis is segmented into standardized outer casing and customizable inner core, allowing the outer casing to be manufactured using efficient traditional methods while the inner core utilizes additive manufacturing for patient-specific customization. This segmentation confines the productivity impact to only the inner core production.
Solution Approach 2:
Patient-specific measurements and anatomical data are collected and processed before manufacturing begins, allowing the inner core geometry to be precisely designed and manufactured using additive manufacturing techniques. This preliminary planning enables efficient production of the custom inner core while the standardized outer casing can be pre-manufactured.
Data Source
AI summary
A femoral prosthesis system for an orthopaedic hip implant and method of use is disclosed. The prosthesis system includes a femoral stem component that includes a core body and a casing that encases the core body. The casing can be additively manufactured such that the core body defines a predetermined orientation in the core body among a plurality of permissible predetermined orientations. The femoral stem component can further include a neck and a trunnion that extends from the neck. The neck can extend out with respect to the core body at a predetermined angle within a range of permissible predetermined angles.