Patent ID: 7819924

Claim:
A prosthetic implant for partial replacement of the ulnar head at the distal radioulnar joint (DRUJ) without disturbing attachment of ulnar carpal ligaments and the triangular fibrocartilaginous complex (TFCC), which implant comprises an elongated stem which is of circular cross section and has a centerline and which is designed to fit within a bore created in a patient's ulna and a head which surmounts said stem and is proportioned to replace the radial-articulating surface of the distal ulna and only a portion of the ulnar head, which portion extends past the centerline of the medullary canal when implanted, said implant head having a double-curved lateral articular surface and a stabilizing surface from which said stem extends, which stabilizing surface includes a distal planar surface section and a proximal planar surface section, which planar surface sections are aligned at an interior obtuse angle to each other between about 130° and 150° so as to stably interface across their entire surface areas with complementary similarly angled planar surfaces of the resected ulna of the DRUJ when implanted, said distal and proximal planar surface sections intersecting at a line of intersection which lies in a plane perpendicular to said centerline of said stem, said proximal planar surface section being aligned at an angle of about 55° to said centerline, and said distal planar surface section adapted to interface with the resected planar complementary surface of the ulna which surface extends past said centerline of said medullary canal when implanted.