Implant device and method for manufacture
A knee implant includes a femoral component having first and second femoral component surfaces. The first femoral component surface is for securing to a surgically prepared compartment of a distal end of a femur. The second femoral component surface is configured to replicate the femoral condyle. The knee implant further includes a tibial component having first and second tibial component surfaces. The first tibial component surface is for contacting a proximal surface of the tibia that is substantially uncut subchondral bone. At least a portion of the first tibial component surface is a mirror image of the proximal tibial surface. The second tibial component surface articulates with the second femoral component surface.
1. A method of manufacturing an implant for repairing a knee joint of a patient, wherein the implant includes a joint-facing surface and a bone-facing surface, the method comprising:
a. deriving a three-dimensional shape of the knee joint of the patient from image data of the knee joint of the patient, wherein the image data include information about a shape, geometry or articular surface of a femoral condyle of the knee joint of the patient,
b. providing a blank with at least one dimension larger than a corresponding dimension of the femoral condyle of the knee joint of the patient, wherein the blank is selected from a library of implants of various sizes and/or shapes; and
c. altering the blank to obtain a desired shape of the joint-facing surface of the implant, wherein the desired shape replicates the femoral condyle of the knee joint of the patient in the corresponding dimension.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the implant includes a medial condylar portion and a lateral condylar portion.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the implant further includes a tibial component that provides both medial and lateral tibial plateaus.
4. The method of claim 3 , including configuring the tibial component to leave tibial spines of the knee joint of the patient intact.
5. The method of claim 3 , including configuring the tibial component not to leave tibial spines of the knee joint of the patient intact.
6. The method of claim 2 , wherein the tibial component includes a first portion that provides a medial tibial plateau and a second portion that provides a lateral tibial plateau, wherein the first and second portions are separately formed.
7. The method of claim 1 , including entering the three-dimensional shape into a CAD/CAM system.
8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the CAD/CAM system is used to form the desired shape of the implant.