Orthopaedic cement removal tools and method

Abstract

A series of surgical tools () have respective operative heads (&) mounted adjacent a distal end of an elongate waveguide (). The operative heads (&) are used to remove PMMA bone cement () from within a hollow bone (), such as a femur (), as part of a prosthesis revision operation, such as replacement of an artificial hip joint. Torsional-mode ultrasonic vibrations are transmitted along the waveguide () to the respective operative heads (&), which are applied to the bone cement (), softening it and facilitating its removal. Elongate radial channels () extend across cement-contacting faces of several of the surgical tools (), acting to focus and transmit the torsional-mode ultrasonic vibrations into adjacent cement (). In another tool (), scalloped recesses () in its cement-contact face have substantially the same effect, while in a further tool (), a series of notches () along a distal edge () of the tool () have an analogous function. The operative heads () of certain tools () can be embedded into a cement plug () then used to pull the plug () as a unit out of the bone ().