Patello-femoral prothesis

Claim 1

A patello-femoral prosthesis comprising a patellar prosthesis which is dimensioned and contoured complementarily to the natural patella and having one side thereof which is adapted to fit against and be secured to the inner surface of the natural patella, and a femoral prosthesis which is dimensioned and contoured complementarily to the portion of the outer surface of the natural femur which the natural patella normally overlies, said femoral prosthesis having one side thereof which is adapted to fit against and be secured to the outer surface of the natural femur, the opposite side of said femoral prosthesis having a substantially concave configuration, the opposite side of said patellar prosthesis having a substantially convex portion, said convex and concave portions having formed complementarily to and adapted to engage each other, connector means for connecting said prosthesis for sliding movement with respect to each other, said connector means comprising a substantially keyhole shaped slot formed in one of said prostheses, said slot having a pair of spaced walls forming a narrow entrance portion and an enlarged inner portion, and a complementarily formed collar button shaped projection carried by the other of said prostheses, said projection having an enlargement on the outer end thereof and a narrow portion disposed inwardly from said enlargement, said projection adapted to be mounted in said slot for sliding movement along said slot, with the engagement between said enlargement and slot preventing undesirable separation or dislocation of said prostheses with respect to each other during the use of said patello-femoral prosthesis.