Patent ID: 8133284

Claim:
A hip joint prosthesis, comprising: a monolithic acetabular cup defining a convex upper side having a size and shape adapted for seated engagement within a patient's natural acetabulum, and a lower side defining a downwardly open and generally part-spherical cavity lined by an articulation surface having a size and shape for articulatory reception of a matingly shaped femoral component; said acetabular cup defining a relatively low porosity first region defining said articulation surface, and a comparatively higher porosity second region defining a bone ingrowth surface on said convex upper side thereof, wherein both of said first region and said second region comprise doped silicon nitride ceramic; said doped silicon nitride ceramic of said relatively low porosity first region having a flexural strength greater than about 700 Mega-Pascal (MPa) and a fracture toughness greater than about 7 Mega-Pascal root meter (MPam 0.5 ), and comprising one or more dopants selected from the group of dopants consisting of yttrium oxide, magnesium oxide, strontium oxide, and alumina.