ANISOTROPIC SURGICAL PROSTHESIS

摘要

A cast metal prosthetic implant disposed to replace a portion of the natural skeleton. The implant is formed in a manner to render the casting anisotropic. The minimum elastic modulus of the casting is aligned with the direction of maximum stress in the implant to reduce the stress induced by the implant on the skeleton. A method of casting a metal prosthetic device by controlling solidification of the casting such that the casting is anisotropic and a specific crystallographic direction in the casting is aligned with the direction of maximum stress applied to the casting during use.