3D-printed ceramic-based partial implants for knee hemiarthroplasty

Cartilage or meniscal injuries, which can result from trauma or joint deformity, lead to a change in the distribution of load in the joints and consequently cause osteoarthritis. These patients might benefit from hemiarthroplasty using partial implants. This less invasive surgical procedure aims to replace only the medial/or lateral compartment yielding faster rehabilitation and better function of the knee. Partial implants have two components, a sliding cap that covers a compartment of the medial/or lateral cartilage, which can be found between tibia and femur of the human leg and a fixation device (screw), which is embedded in the bone. Knee hemiarthroplasty and post-surgery time are frequently facing different problems, e.g. failure mechanisms at the implant/cartilage interface and revision operations mainly induced by infection, bone resorption and implant loosening. As the number of patients with cartilage injuries increases, there is a need for alternative partial implant materials that would enable better joint movement and offer long-term solution. In the proposed CeraKnee project, we aim to develop a pre-industrial ceramic-based implant that significantly inhibits local microbial infections.