Implantable acetabular prosthetic hip joint with universal adjustability

Abstract

An implantable prosthetic hip joint includes an acetabular shell component for securing the prosthetic joint within the acetabulum socket of a biological hip bone, and including an inner spherical surface, an open circumferential end and a plurality of apertures extending therethrough at the open circumferential end; an annular wedge retaining ring positioned within the acetabular shell component, the ring including a plurality of counter-sunk apertures therein in alignment with the apertures extending through the acetabular shell component; a hemispherical asymmetric socket insert in the acetabular shell component and including an outer spherical dome engaging the inner spherical surface of the acetabular shell component, an open circumferential end having an asymmetric lip thereat and an inner spherical surface, the outer spherical dome including a tapered surface for engagement with the wedge retaining ring; a femoral component having a femoral stem connected with the femur of a person and a femoral head connected with the femoral stem and received in the inner spherical surface of the socket insert for ball-and-socket movement therein; and a plurality of screws inserted through the apertures of the wedge retaining ring and acetabular shell component and threadedly received within the hip bone so as to force the wedge retaining ring inwardly to compress the socket insert and retain the same within the acetabular shell component in a fixed position, and loosening of these screws permits universal rotational adjustment of the socket insert in the acetabular shell comoponent.