This invention relates to repairing and reconstructing injured ligaments and tendons. More particularly, it relates to novel devices, instruments and methods for repairing and reconstructing an injured intra-articular, extra-articular ligament or a tendon to bone. It also relates to novel implants, instruments and methods for realigning the axis of a bone and for fixing fragments of a bone together.
Except for the provisional application just referred to, there are no patent applications related to this one. Neither this application nor the provisional application upon which it is based is subject to any federally sponsored research or development or to any joint research agreement.
Orthopedic surgeons frequently perform reconstructive and reparative surgery for injured ligaments and tendons of the musculoskeletal system. When a patient traumatically injures a ligament in a joint, he may suffer from instability of that joint and require surgery to restore the function of the ligament and of the joint. Many ligament injuries cannot be directly repaired but rather require reconstructive surgery to make a new ligament by replacing the injured ligament with tendon graft. Likewise, when a patient traumatically ruptures a tendon of a muscle, he requires surgery to repair the tendon in order to restore the function of the muscle. Both the reconstruction of ligaments and repair of tendons involve mechanically connecting a soft-tissue tendon to the bone until the tendon can biologically reattach to the bone.
Orthopedic surgeons also perform surgery to realign bones for patients who suffer from malalignment of bones and joints due to developmental and acquired disorders. The surgery, known as osteotomy, entails cutting a bone and realigning it along the cut, osteotomy, to change the alignment of the bone and adjacent joints.
Orthopedic surgeons also perform surgery to repair fractures of bones, reconnecting the broken members so that they can heal in proper relationship. Repairing fractures of bones typically involves mechanically connecting the separated bone fragments, often with a properly sized and shaped bone fracture repair plate and screws.
The present invention discloses a new method, instruments and implants for reconstructing or replacing a damaged ligament of a joint or repairing a torn tendon by reattaching the bundle of soft-tissue directly to the cortical surface of a bone. The present invention also discloses a new manner of realigning a bone by performing an osteotomy and altering the relative position of the bone fragments. A novel implant utilizing an adjustable length bone fixation plate for repairing a fracture of a bone is also disclosed.
Accordingly, an object of this invention is to provide an improved means to restore a damaged ligament or tendon attached to a bone, thereby better restoring the normal anatomy of the joint and its normal structural relationships.
Another object of this invention is to better restore the anatomy of a joint by attaching a soft-tissue graft to the cortical surface of the ligament attachment site on the bone.
Another object of this invention is to avoid the surgical morbidity associated with drilling a large tunnel in a bone to reattach a ligament graft or torn tendon.
Another object of this invention is to avoid destruction of bone, creation of bone drilling debris, late tunnel widening, bone deficiency and similar drawbacks which complicate surgery.
Another object of this invention is to improve the functional outcomes of surgery because of an improved anatomic positioning of the graft and decreased surgical morbidity.
Another object of this invention is to provide for an osteotomy in a bone along a plane with a controlling relationship to an adjacent joint and its direction of movement.
Another object of this invention is to maximize the bony contact area across an osteotomy site to provide maximum stability and area of the bone healing surface.
Another object of this invention is to minimize changes to the longitudinal length of a bone following an osteotomy.
Another object of this invention is to minimize the distance between the joint and an osteotomy site while creating the osteotomy and realigning the bone at a position that maintains the relative length and function of the ligaments and tendons surrounding the joint.
Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent to orthopedic surgeons and other persons who are skilled in the art of ligament and tendon repair and reconstruction, osteotomy, and bone fixation, particularly after reviewing the following description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention and the accompanying drawings.
An undamaged joint 10 is illustrated in
Ligaments of a joint can be torn from injury, as shown in
Drilling tunnels in a bone creates injury, does not allow for anatomic attachment of a graft to the cortical surface, and sometimes leads to other surgically related complications.
The novel method, technique and implant of the present invention reconstructs a ligament such as ligament 1 by connecting a biologic soft-tissue graft 21 to the cortical surfaces 6 at the ligament attachment sites 7 located on the bones 4 and 5 of a joint 10. Various forms which the graft 21 may take are shown in
At the time of ligament reconstructive surgery, with or without arthroscopic, fluoroscopic, robotic, or computer navigational assistance, cortical loops 32 are placed along a cortical surface 6 at a ligament bundle attachment site 7 capturing the soft-tissue graft 21. The cortical surface of the bone may be prepared to stimulate a healing response at that site. The cortical loops 32, which may be called fixation devices, may be of a fixed length or adjustable length and composed of permanent, biologic, composite, or resorbable biocompatible material, and they can be of varying diameter or width. Each loop 32 engages the bone at two separate sites 34 with intervening cortical bone surface between. Multiple cortical loop fixation devices 32 and multiple biologic soft-tissue grafts 21 can be used to in a multitude of configurations to restore the multiple bundle 2,3 anatomy of the original ligament 1 across the bones 4, 5, 8 proximate to a joint 10. Additional mechanical reinforcements 41 can be used to bridge the bones 4,5 to mechanically reinforce graft 21 until it heals to bones 4 and 5, and mechanical graft locks 51 can be added to fix loose ends of the graft back upon itself to create a closed loop as shown in
Cortical fixation loops 32 can also be used in multiple configurations to fix torn tendons 24 of muscles 25 back to a cortical surface 6 of a bone 4, as shown in
Bone realignment procedures are also sometimes needed in conjunction with ligament reconstructive procedures. In the present invention, the following novel bone realignment procedures may be utilized. A hinged external jig 61 and bone cutting guide 71 may be created using patient-specific three-dimensional anatomic data from preoperative imaging modalities and computer software, including but not limited to computed tomographic scans, magnetic resonance imagining and plain radiography. The hinged external jig 61 can be applied to a joint 80 with fasteners 63, 64 that help position the jig 61 along bones 81, 82 of the joint 80, thereby positioning the hinge 62 with its two connecting arm 65, 66 at the center of rotation of the joint 80 as shown in
The bone cutting guide 71 is removably attached to the hinged external jig 61 through the jig connector 67. The joint 80 is moved to demonstrate the plane of bending motion, as shown in
The cutting guide 71 includes cutting holes 75, a slot 74, stabilizing arms or tabs 73 and holes 72 for bone fixation devices 110 (see
When the bone 82 is cut, and the cutting guide 71 is removed, any adjacent supporting bone such as bone 84 is also cut, and bones 82 and 84 are realigned along their respective osteotomies 140, 150. There they are fixed in position as shown in
The present invention includes fixation of bone 201 fragments 202, 203 from osteotomies 140 or fracture 204. After percutaneous or open exposure of a bone 201 with a fracture 204, a conventional plate 205 and screws 250 can be applied as shown in
After the adjustable length plate 200 is applied to the reduced fracture 204, locking screws 230 or non-locking screws 250 are inserted through the regular screw single-locking and non-locking locking holes 226 in the fracture plate ends 220 to connect the fracture plate ends 220 to the bone 201. Optionally, a locking compression-reduction clamp (not shown) can be used to grasp each of the fracture plate ends 220 by their respective compression device attachment points 229 and apply compression and reduction forces across fracture 204. Then, with the compression clamp in place, double locking screws 230 can be inserted into the combination screw locking and intercalary segment locking holes 222 for locking engagement between the fracture plate ends 220 and the intercalary segment 240 as shown in
Locking engagement connects the double locking screw 230 at a fixed position, depth and angle relative to the fracture plate ends 220 and also compresses the intercalary segment 240 within the intercalary segment channel 221 of the fracture plate ends 220 so as to prevent any longitudinal or rotational movement between the fracture plate ends 220 and the intercalary segment 240 along the axis of the intercalary segment 240. This locking engagement can be reversed with removal of the locking screw 230. The double locking screws 230 can have combined or separate plate and intercalary segment engaging sections 233, 232 and a threaded bone engaging section 231 as shown in
From the foregoing it will be evident that, although particular forms of the present invention have been illustrated and described, nevertheless various modifications can be made without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, no limitations are intended by the foregoing description and the accompanying drawings, and the true spirit and scope of the invention are intended to be expressed in the following claims.
This is a nonprovisional application which claims the filing date of the same inventor's provisional application, Ser. No. 61/796, 662, filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office on Nov. 19, 2012.