Abstract: An inner shell for insertion into an outer shell to thereby form a hip joint socket. The inner shell includes an outwardly projecting thread spigot located at a pole with the thread spigot defining a rotational axis and being screwable into an inner thread of the outer shell. The inner shell further includes a projection arranged at the outer edge and extends outwardly radially to the rotational axis. The projection includes at least one locking part that acts on the outer shell, when the inner shell is placed within the outer shell, in order to prevent rotation of the inner shell about the rotational axis.

Abstract: The acetabulum (1) comprises a semispherical support shell (2d) whose inner surface (20) has at least three retaining means (2b) which protrude into the interior. Furthermore, the acetabulum (1) comprises a semispherical inner shell (3) which can be inserted into the correspondingly dimensioned semispherical support shell (2d). The outer surface (30) of the inner shell (3) has at least one recess (3b) extending in a helical manner, in such a way that the inner shell (3) can be rotated into the support shell (2d) with a screw motion, thereby resulting in operative connection between the protruding retaining means (2b) of the support shell (2d) and the recess (3b) extending in a helical manner of the inner shell (3), so that the inner shell (3) is retained in the support shell (2d).

Abstract: The metallic inner shell (1) is guidable into the inner hollow volume of an outer shell (2) and fastenable to the outer shell (2) with the fastening element (8). A two-part hip joint socket (3) is thus produced. To achieve this, support regions of the inner shell (1) are approximately positioned into a groove (11) of the outer shell (2) and, from there, the inner shell (1) is moved into the outer shell (2) via a pivotal movement so that the support regions completely seat into the groove (11) and the fastening element (8) adopts the position shown. The intermediate volume between the inner shell (1) and the outer shell (2) thus narrows in the direction of taper (13) so that the fastening element (8), when tightened in the direction (13), wedges itself with its head (9) between the boundary surface (1i) of the inner shell (1) and the groove (11) of the outer shell (2).

Abstract: The socket (2) comprises a metallic outer shell (4), an intermediate shell (5) of plastics and a metallic inner shell (6), which may be inserted into the latter using a connection by shape. The outer shell (4) is divided into segments (4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, 4e) by recesses (9) open towards its equatorial marginal region. The outer shell (4) and the inner shell (6) are rigidly supported against each other in the direction of a common main axis (A) by a contact portion (8), and are non-rotatably connected by an attachment element (15) eccentrically offset with respect to the main axis (A).

Abstract: The acetabulum has an outer shell (1) which is composed of several relatively rigid outer shell segments (1a, 1c) that are interconnected by resilient regions. The outer shell (1) has regions of high shape stability which are elastically connected to each other. The outer shell segment (1) in the region of the direction of main loading (F) is made as an attachment zone (1a) and has apertures for bone screws and a guiding and attachment bore (3) for an inner shell (10). The guiding bore (3) is with respect to the whole outer shell (1) situated at the pole (P2).

Abstract: A method and apparatus for introducing a shank (5) of a prosthesis into a bone cavity is disclosed. A strap 1 having an loop portion 2 and an end portion 3 is wrapped around the shank. The end portion of the strap is then clamped by a clamping device 4 to secure the strap around the shank. The bone cavity is filled with bone cement and the lower end of the shank is introduced into the bone cavity thereby forming a gap between the shank and the outer wall of the bone cavity. A strap substantially seals this gap to minimize leakage of bone cement from the bone cavity. The clamping device 4 allows the end portion of the strap to slip relative to the clamping device when a threshold force is applied against the clamping device. In this manner, the strap will conform to the increasing cross-sectional area of the elongate body of the shank as the shank is introduced into the bone cavity.

Abstract: A hipjoint socket has an outer cup and an inner cup disposed within and secured to the outer cup. The inner cup has a hemispherical bearing surface which is concentric with an axis and terminates at the end face, which is perpendicular to the axis. An open groove formed in the end face is concentric with the axis. A closed ring has axially relatively longer and shorter portions and a cylindrical guiding surface having a diameter about equal to a diameter of the hemispherical guiding surface. The ring includes tongues engaging the groove and thereby securing the ring to the inner cup when the ring abuts the end face. The tongues are able to slide along the groove and position the cylindrical guiding surface concentric with the axis and substantially contiguous with an end of the hemispherical bearing surface at the end face.

Abstract: A screw-nut for screwing implants together includes a thrust-shoulder which projects radially and presses axially against part of a housing. The screw-nut further includes an internal threaded portion adapted to fit a corresponding screw part, and a plurality of members, each mounted onto the side of the thrust-shoulder facing away from the part of the housing against which the thrust shoulder presses. These members are adapted to receive a tool for tightening the screw-nut. A plurality of leaf springs is included for engaging the housing part. The leaf springs, the ends of which form latching-in dogs, project, in the axial direction, from the screw-nut. The leaf springs are constructed such that, when the thrust-shoulder makes contact with the housing part, each latching-in dog snaps into a recess in the housing part in order to prevent loosening of the screw-nut from the housing part.

Abstract: A knee joint prosthesis includes two guide faces for receiving the condyles of a distal femur. The prosthesis includes a tibial plateau of polyethylene which is embedded in a metal tibial shank with a plate. The underside of the plate is planar and bears against a resection area of the tibia shaped as a planar endface. On the inside of the plate, in the region of the guide faces, pockets are formed. The pockets follow the curvature of the guide faces in sagittal planes and exhibit at their lowest point a maximum wall thickness of 1.5 mm, while the minimum wall thickness of the tibial plateau resting in the pockets amounts to 6.5 mm.

Abstract: An artificial hip joint socket for fastening to a pelvic bone includes a metallic outer cup for an artificial hipjoint socket forming a concavity for receiving a hip. This cavity terminates at an equatorial edge. Supporting flaps for fastening to said pelvic bone are provided at the equatorial edge of the metallic outer cup. These supporting flaps define holes drilled for bone screws to pass through and as openings for checking the clearance from the bone. The supporting flaps are provided with preset lines of grooves for enabling preferential bending of said flaps along said at least one of said preset lines of grooves to conform said supporting flaps and metallic outer cup to said pelvis. In the preferred embodiment, the preset lines of grooves run exclusively in the region of the supporting flaps undisturbed by defined holes in the flap. The preset lines of grooves are arranged on the outer surface of the flaps toward the pelvis.

Abstract: An artificial knee joint has a convex femoral part (1) and tibial part (2). At the femoral part (1), which has smaller radii of curvature as bending increases, the tibial part (2) performs a rolling and sliding movement, with the femoral part (1) and the tibial part (2) each comprising a lateral guide surface (F.sub.2, F.sub.2 ') and a medial guide surface (F.sub.1, F.sub.1 '). The medial guide surface (F.sub.1 ') of the tibial part (2) forms a flat guide plane, which with different flex angles, abuts cylindrical guide surfaces (F.sub.1) of the femoral part (1) with line contact, while the lateral guide surface (F.sub.2 ') of the tibial part is trapped by the lateral condyle with different bending angles in the frontal plane in the lateral direction by line contact along circular segments having the same radius of curvature (R.sub.3). The value of this same radius of curvature (R.sub.3) lies between the smallest and largest flex radius (R.sub.n) of the lateral condyle in the track (7).

Abstract: With the invention is shown a meniscus platform for an artificial knee joint, which consists of a metal platform (1) and a metal slide member (3) sliding thereon at right angles to the tibia axis (17), which on its upper side comprises sliding surfaces (4, 5) and a guide bead (8) for the condyles (13, 14) of a femur part (11). The sliding movement between the metal slide member (3) and the metal platform (1) is restricted by a guiding pin (10) in the metal platform, which engages in an oblong hole (9) in a slide member (3) made of metal. The metal slide member (3) can rotate around the guiding pin (10) and can be displaced along its oblong hole (9). The rotational movement of the slide member (3) is restricted by a limiting recess (15), which encloses a part of the eminentia (19) in the region of the rear cruciate ligament.

Abstract: A color photographic element for use with a latent or silver image intensification or amplification method which incorporates a blocked color developing agent. The color photographic element includes at least one silver halide emulsion layer which includes at least about 70 mole percent chloride and has a concentration of silver within the range of about 0.1 mg/m.sup.2 to 2000 mg/m.sup.2. The blocked color developing agent is capable of being unblocked during photographic processing by means of reaction with a dinucleophile reagent. A preferred dinucleophile reagent is hydrogen peroxide, which also acts as an oxidant in the latent or silver image intensification method.

Abstract: The cap for a femur head can be imbedded without the use of cement and includes an outer shell of hemispherical shape so that forces an be transferred in various positions of the joint without any discontinuity in the surface. In addition, an inner shell is secured within the outer shell and is provided with a conically tapered internal surface at the outer edge and an internal self-tapping screw thread for screwing onto a stump of a femur head. The shell also has an internal curved surface for abutting against the stump to inhibit continued threading of the cap onto the stump. Internal cutting rings may also be provided internally of the inner shell for cutting into the osseous tissue of the femur head.

Abstract: The ligament anchor is used for fastening an artificial ligament in a bone. The ligament anchor is formed of a clamp sleeve which tapers on the outside and is deformable radially to a smaller inner diameter. The clamp sleeve has projecting saw tooth segments on the inside with steep flanks against the direction of loading for engaging in the inserted ligament. The clamp sleeve is supported by an anchoring sleeve which tapers internally and is inserted in the opening of the bone. For anchoring, the ligament is pulled outwards under pressure against the direction of loading and the clamp sleeve is pressed into the anchoring sleeve in the direction of loading until the saw tooth elements embrace and hold the ligament such that under the built-up pressure and the ligament tension in the direction of loading, self locking of the sleeves take place.

Abstract: The hip joint prosthesis consists of two cups which are anchored together in the direction of the polar axes by a snap connection. The inner cup is made of cobalt alloy and outer cup of titanium. The outer cup carries a straddling dowel which projects into the bone tissue and which is subdivided into radially deflectable segments having sharp edges thereon. The inner cup has a shaped body which projects into the dowel and which is shaped so as to expand the deflectable segments upon rotation of the inner cup within the outer cup. Each dowel segment is provided with a notch to receive a corner of the shaped body so as to hold the body in a holding position in a snap-fit manner.

Abstract: A centering element for a shank of a femur bone prosthesis is of three-sided pyramidal shape with an equilateral triangular-shaped base. The apex of the centering element is also rounded while a stud is provided at the base for interfitting in a recess in the prosthesis shank. The shape of the centering element enables insertion of the element together with a shank in a cavity in a bone already filled with bone cement.

Abstract: A femur head prosthesis is provided with a shank body for implanting in a femur and a pair of removeably fastened cheeks which are secured to opposite sides at a proximal end of the shank body. The cheeks can be selected from a kit of different sized cheeks. Also, each cheek has a bulge extending laterally from the shank body. Also, each cheek tapers in conically from lateral to medial and from proximal to distal.

Abstract: An artificial acetabulum is made with a metal inner shell, a thin outer shell which defines a cavity with the inner shell and an elastic force-transmitting member between the two shells to damp forces imposed on the shells. In addition, a metal gauze layer is disposed about the outer shell for the ingrowth of osseous tissue. The inner and outer shells are connected at the edges so as to impermeable to air so that no particles from the cavity between the shells can reach the surrounding environment. A beading is also provided on the outer shell and/or gauze so as to snap into an appropriate undercut in the osseous tissue during primary implantation.

Abstract: The acetabular cup prosthesis has a metal socket having a socket shell for receiving a spherical joint head as well as a plastic ring which covers the equatorial edge surface of the metal socket and which has an inner diameter corresponding to the inner diameter of the shell. In the event of a dislocation of the joint head, the polished surface of the joint head contacts the plastic ring to deform the ring without imposing a point load on the metal joint head.