Unitary acetabular cup prosthesis with extension for deficient acetabulum

1. A unitary acetabular cup prosthesis for use in a deficient acetabulum of a hip bone of a patient, the prosthesis comprising:

a cup portion comprising a generally dome-shaped wall having an axis and an upper rim, an inner bearing surface of said wall configured to pivotally engage a femoral head of a hip prosthesis,

a pair of adjacent screw retaining members for use in attaching the prosthesis to the patient's hip bone, each said screw retaining member extending from an outer surface of said dome substantially along said rim, each said screw retaining member integrally formed with said cup portion such that said screw retaining member is fixedly inclined relative to said rim and is fixedly offset relative to said rim, said screw retaining members oriented in a cooperative relationship with one another to facilitate implantation of the prosthesis in one side of the hip of the patient, and

each said screw retaining member having a threaded hole therethrough, each said threaded hole fixedly inclined relative to said rim such that an axis of said threaded hole converges toward said axis of said cup portion in one dimension and such that said axis of said threaded hole is oblique to said axis of said cup portion in a second dimension.

2. The prosthesis of claim 1 , wherein said threaded holes of said pair of screw retaining members are in a parallel relationship with one another to thereby enable fixation about parallel fixation axes in the patient's hip bone.

3. The prosthesis of claim 2 , wherein said axis of said threaded hole of each said screw retaining member is substantially perpendicular to said inclination of said screw retaining member and substantially perpendicular to said offset of said screw retaining member.

4. The prosthesis of claim 1 , wherein said threaded holes of said pair of screw retaining members are in a divergent relationship with one another to thereby enable fixation about non-parallel fixation axes in the patient's hip bone.

5. The prosthesis of claim 4 , wherein said axis of said threaded hole of each said screw retaining member is substantially perpendicular to said inclination of said screw retaining member and substantially perpendicular to said offset of said screw retaining member.

6. The prosthesis of claim 1 , wherein each said screw retaining member is fixedly inclined at an angle of between about 10 and about 25 degrees relative to said rim and each said screw retaining member is fixedly offset at an angle of between about 10 and about 25 degrees relative to said rim.

7. The prosthesis of claim 1 , wherein each said screw retaining member is fixedly inclined at an angle of about 20 degrees relative to said rim and each said screw retaining member is fixedly offset at an angle of about 20 degrees relative to said rim.

8. The prosthesis of claim 1 , further comprising

a second pair of screw retaining members for use in attaching the prosthesis to the patient's hip bone, each said screw retaining member of said second pair extending from said outer surface of said dome substantially along said rim, each said screw retaining member of said second pair integrally formed with said cup portion such that said screw retaining member is fixedly inclined relative to said rim and is fixedly offset relative to said rim, said screw retaining members oriented in a cooperative relationship with one another to facilitate implantation of the prosthesis in an opposing side of the hip of the patient,

each said screw retaining member of said second pair having a threaded hole therethrough, each said threaded hole fixedly inclined relative to said rim such that an axis of said threaded hole converges toward said axis of said cup portion in one dimension and such that said axis of said threaded hole is oblique to said axis of said cup portion in a second dimension, and

said first and said second pairs of screw retaining members oriented such that the prosthesis can be used in either a left or a right acetabulum of the patient.

9. The prosthesis of claim 8 , wherein said screw retaining members are formed on a single flange.

10. The prosthesis of claim 1 , wherein said screw retaining members are formed on a single flange.

11. A method of implanting a prosthesis in a defective hip bone of a patient comprising:

providing a unitary acetabular cup prosthesis according to claim 1 ,

placing the unitary acetabular cup prosthesis in an acetabulum of the patient,

securing the unitary acetabular cup prosthesis in the hip bone by threading screws through the threaded holes of the screw receiving members and into the hip bone such that a rim of the prosthesis is maintained in an orientation of about 45 degrees relative to vertical.

12. A unitary acetabular cup prosthesis for use in a deficient acetabulum of a hip bone of a patient, the prosthesis comprising:

a cup portion comprising a generally dome-shaped wall having an axis and an upper rim, an inner bearing surface of said wall configured to pivotally engage a femoral head of a hip prosthesis,

a flange extending from an outer surface of said dome substantially along a portion of said rim, said flange integrally formed with said cup portion, said flange inclined relative to said rim,

said flange including a first and a second pair of screw retaining members formed thereon for use in attaching the prosthesis to the patient's hip bone,

each said screw retaining member fixedly inclined relative to said rim and fixedly offset relative to said rim,

each said screw retaining member having a threaded hole therethrough, each said threaded hole fixedly inclined relative to said rim such that an axis of said threaded hole converges toward said axis of said cup portion in one dimension and such that said axis of said threaded hole is oblique to said axis of said cup portion in a second dimension,

said first pair of screw retaining members fixed in a cooperative relationship with one another to facilitate implantation of the device in a left hip of the patient,

said second pair of screw retaining members fixed in a cooperative relationship with one another to facilitate implantation of the device in a right hip of the patient and in an oblique relationship with said first pair of screw retaining members, and

said first and said second pair of screw retaining members arranged in a staggered relationship.

13. The prosthesis of claim 12 , wherein said threaded holes of said first pair of screw retaining members are in a generally parallel relationship with one another to thereby enable fixation about parallel fixation axes in the patient's acetabulum,

said threaded holes of said second pair of screw retaining members are in a generally parallel relationship with one another to thereby enable fixation about parallel fixation axes in the patient's acetabulum, and

said threaded holes of said first pair of screw retaining members are in an oblique relationship with said threaded holes of said second pair of screw retaining members.

14. The prosthesis of claim 13 , wherein said axis of said threaded hole of each said screw retaining member is substantially perpendicular to said inclination of said screw retaining member and substantially perpendicular to said offset of said screw retaining member.

15. The prosthesis of claim 11 , wherein said axis of said threaded hole of each said screw retaining member is substantially perpendicular to said inclination of said screw retaining member and substantially perpendicular to said offset of said screw retaining member.

16. The prosthesis of claim 12 , wherein said threaded holes of said first pair of screw retaining members are in a divergent relationship with one another to thereby enable fixation about non-parallel fixation axes in the patient's acetabulum,

said threaded holes of said second pair of screw retaining members are in a divergent relationship with one another to thereby enable fixation about non-parallel fixation axes in the patient's acetabulum, and

said threaded holes of said first pair of screw retaining members are in an oblique relationship with said threaded holes of said second pair of screw retaining members.

17. The prosthesis of claim 16 , wherein said axis of said threaded hole of each said screw retaining member is substantially perpendicular to said inclination of said screw retaining member and substantially perpendicular to said offset of said screw retaining member.

18. The prosthesis of claim 12 , wherein each said screw retaining member is fixedly inclined at an angle of between about 10 and about 25 degrees relative to said rim and each said screw retaining member is fixedly offset at an angle of between about 10 and about 25 degrees relative to said rim.

19. The prosthesis of claim 12 , wherein each said screw retaining member is fixedly inclined at an angle of about 20 degrees relative to said rim and each said screw retaining member is fixedly offset at an angle of about 20 degrees relative to said rim.

20. A method of implanting a prosthesis in a defective hip bone of a patient comprising:

providing a unitary acetabular cup prosthesis according to claim 12 ,

placing the unitary acetabular cup prosthesis in an acetabulum of the patient,

securing the unitary acetabular cup prosthesis in the hip bone by threading screws through the threaded holes of the screw receiving members and into the hip bone such that a rim of the prosthesis is maintained in an orientation of about 45 degrees relative to vertical.