The design, development and clinical assessment of a new metacarpophalangeal joint prosthesis

Funded Activity Summary

Rheumatoid arthritis is a crippling form of arthritis that affects many people in the community. It commonly involves the finger joints in the hands resulting in deformity, pain and subsequent loss of function. There have been implants designed for finger joint replacement, but unfortunately these implants have had only moderate benefits and can break and lead to further joint destruction resulting in the worsening of deformity and pain. A new implant for finger joint replacement has been developed. This implant has several potential advantages. Firstly the unique design acts to prevent recurring deformity in the fingers with rheumatoid disease while allowing functional motion. Secondly, it is thought that patients will return to function earlier and avoid the need for further finger surgery as this implant design relies less on the tissues around it for stability. The purpose of this study is to investigate the biomechanical and clinical benefits of this new implant for finger joint replacement. The new design will undergo specific laboratory tests and be used in a clinical trial to quantify the therapeutic benefits it provides to patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Funded Activity Details

Start Date: 01-01-2001

End Date: 01-01-2003

Funding Scheme: NHMRC Project Grants

Funding Amount: $188,450.00

Funder: National Health and Medical Research Council

Research Topics

ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)

Orthopaedics

ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)

There are no SEO codes available for this funding activity

Other Keywords

Arthroplasty | Biomaterials | Biomechanics | Metacarpophalangeal joint deformity | Metacarpophalangeal joint replacement | Orthopaedics | Prosthetic design | Rheumatology arthritis

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