The features and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent from a consideration of the subsequent detailed description presented in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:
The following description of the preferred embodiment(s) is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention, its application, or uses.
For the purposes of promoting an understanding of these principles in accordance with the disclosure, reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the disclosure is thereby intended. Any alterations and further modifications of the inventive features illustrated herein, and any additional applications of the principles of the disclosure as illustrated herein, which would normally occur to one skilled in the relevant art having possession of this disclosure, are to be considered within the scope of the disclosure claimed.
Before the present apparatus and methods for treating a bone fracture are disclosed and described, it is to be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the particular configurations, process steps, and materials disclosed herein as such configurations, process steps, and materials may vary somewhat. It is also to be understood that the terminology employed herein is used for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting since the scope of the present disclosure will be limited only by the appended claims and equivalents thereof.
It must be noted that, as used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Moreover, as used herein, the terms “comprising”, “including”, “containing”, “characterized by” and grammatical equivalents thereof are inclusive or open-ended terms that do not exclude additional, unrecited elements or method steps. In addition, the term “at” when referring to the location or placement of an element or object means in, near or by the area or location occupied by the particular structure or element referred to.
As used herein, the term “proximal” shall refer broadly to the concept of a nearest portion.
As used herein, the term “distal” shall generally refer to the opposite of proximal, and thus to the concept of a further portion, or a furthest portion, depending upon the context.
Referring now to
Referring now to
One or more proximal anchoring members 21 may be used to anchor the nail 20 in the femur 12. It will be understood that the anchoring members 21 may be bone screws or any other suitable variety of fastening mechanism known in the art for use with trochanteric nails. Accordingly, the shape, size and configuration of the anchoring members 21 may vary within the scope of the present disclosure. In addition, as illustrated in
Referring now to
The nail 20 may be viewed as including three areas or regions, a distal area 20a, a medial area 20b and a proximal area 20c. The distal area 20a is that area of the nail 20 located nearby or adjacent to the distal end 28. The proximal area 20c is that area of the nail 20 located nearby or adjacent to the proximal end 26. The medial area 20b is that area of the nail 20 located between the distal and proximal areas 20a, 20c. Typically, the stem portion 32 encompasses the medial area 20b and distal area 20a with the head portion 30 located in the proximal area 20c. In one embodiment, the areas are sized such that each of the respective areas 20a, 20b, 20c represents one-third (⅓) of the overall length of the elongate body 22. The size or length of the respective areas in relation to one another may vary depending upon the overall length of the elongate body 22 of the nail 20. For example, as the overall length of the elongate body 22 of the nail 20 increases, the overall increase in length typically occurs in the medial area 20b, whereby the medial area 20b may occupy more than one-half (½) of the overall length of the elongate body 22 of the nail 20.
A fitting 36 may be disposed on the head portion 30 at the proximal end 26. The fitting 36 may be configured for receiving a tool (not shown) for manipulating the nail 20, or for attaching an alignment guide or jig. The head portion 30 may also include one or more openings 38. The openings 38 extend across the longitudinal axis 24 for receiving anchoring members, such as bone screws, to anchor the nail 20 in a bone. The openings 38 extend across the longitudinal axis 24 at an angle of 90° or less.
The stem portion 32 may include a first opening 42 formed in the distal area 20a of the stem portion 32 near the distal end 28 in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis 24. The first opening 42 may comprise an oblong cross-section to allow movement of an anchoring member 25 therein. A second opening 44 may also be formed in the distal area 20a near the distal end 28 of the body 22. The second opening 44 may include a round cross-sectional shape for receiving an anchoring member 25. While shown extending across the longitudinal axis 24 in a direction transverse the longitudinal axis 24, the openings 42, 44 may extend across the longitudinal axis 24 at an angle of 90° or less. It will be understood that other quantities of openings formed in the distal area 20a of the stem portion 32, or an embodiment may include no openings in the distal area 20a of the stem portion 32 remain within the scope of the present disclosure.
As disclosed herein, the stem portion 32 also includes an intermediate opening 50 located in the medial area 20b of the nail 20. The intermediate opening 50 is disposed between the distal end 28 and the head portion 30. The intermediate opening 50 configured for receiving an anchoring member 23. When the nail 20 includes openings in the distal area 20a, the intermediate opening 50 is spaced from and located between the openings and the head portion 30. As illustrated, the intermediate opening may also extend in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis 24 or it may extend across the longitudinal axis 24 at an angle less than 90°. Accordingly, the nail 20 may be configured such that when the intermediate opening 50 receives an anchoring member, the distal area 20a of the nail 20 may remain free from anchoring members. For example, one embodiment of the nail may include a single intermediate opening 50 located in the stem portion 32 in an upper two-thirds (⅔) of the body 22, such that when an anchoring member is installed in the intermediate opening 50, a lower third (⅓) of the nail 20 remains free from an anchoring member. As used herein the term “upper” is associated with the proximal end 26 of nail 20 while “lower” is associated with the distal end 28.
Another embodiment may include a nail 20 having an intermediate opening 50 in the stem portion 32 in the upper one-half (½) portion of the body 22, such that when an anchoring member is installed in the intermediate opening 50, a lower one-half (½) of the nail 20 remains free from an anchoring member. Yet another embodiment may include a nail 20 having an intermediate opening 50 in the stem portion 32 in an upper one-third (⅓) of the body 22, such that when an anchoring member is installed in the intermediate opening 50, a lower two-thirds (⅔) of the nail 20 remains free from an anchoring member. Also, as illustrated in
One embodiment of the nail 20 may include a through-bore 45 extending from the proximal end 26 to the distal end 28 along the longitudinal axis 24. Also, a taper 46 may be positioned toward the distal end 28 of the stem portion 32. The taper 46 may facilitate insertion of the nail 20 in a bone canal. Moreover, one embodiment of the nail 20 may include a bend 48 (see
One feature of the present disclosure may include a nail system for treating bone fractures in which the nail system includes a plurality of nails 20 having different lengths. Wherein the length is typically measured from the proximate end to the distal end. For example, the nails 20 may be provided in lengths of 30, 33, 36, 39, 42, and 48 centimeters. However, it will be understood that nails 20 of various different lengths may be utilized within the scope of the present disclosure. Each of the nails 20 may include an intermediate opening 50 spaced a uniform distance from the proximal end 26 such that the same targeting jig (not shown) may be used to install an anchoring member in the intermediate opening 50. This may be helpful in avoiding the requirement to install an anchoring member using the “freehand” method, wherein a surgeon installs the anchoring member without the assistance of an instrument such as a targeting jig. One embodiment of the present disclosure may include a plurality of nails 20 each having the intermediate opening 50 formed approximately 15.5 centimeters from the proximal end 26. It will be understood, however, that other embodiments may include the intermediate opening 50 positioned at different distances from the proximal end 26.
A feature of the present disclosure is that the nail 20 may be versatile for use in a traditional manner as shown in
In use, the nail 20 may be installed in the intramedullary canal of a bone, such as a femur 12. The nail 20 may extend a substantially entire length of the femur 12. One or more anchor members 21 may be installed in the openings 38 in the head portion 30. An anchor member 23 may be installed in the intermediate opening 50. It will be understood that a targeting jig may be used to position the anchor member 23 in the intermediate opening 50, since the intermediate opening 50 may be located closer to the proximal end 26 of the nail 20 than are the openings in the distal area 20a of some nails 20. The portion of the nail 20 from the intermediate opening 50 to the distal end 28 may remain free from anchoring members.
It will be appreciated that the nail 20 may be formed of any known material capable of providing suitable strength and durability characteristics, as well as allowing for compatibility with the bone in which it is to be installed.
Referring to
Those having ordinary skill in the relevant art will appreciate the advantages provided by the features of the present disclosure. For example, it is a feature of the present disclosure to provide a trochanteric nail that is simple in design and manufacture. Another feature of the present disclosure is to provide such a trochanteric nail that may provide enhanced stability by filling substantially an entire bone canal. It is a further feature of the present disclosure, in accordance with one aspect thereof, to provide a nail that may be configured to reduce “pendulum” micro-motion and thereby reduce loosening of anchoring members. It is another feature of the present disclosure to provide a nail that may reduce the risk of bone fractures below the nail as may occur in instances where short nails are used. It is an additional feature of the present disclosure to provide a nail having an additional point of fixation that may be configured to span the isthmus of a bone canal. It is a further feature of the present disclosure to provide a nail with increased rigidity by decreasing the distance of the anchoring members from the proximal end of the nail. It is a further feature of the present disclosure to provide a nail that may allow a distal most anchoring member to be installed using a targeting jig rather than a freehand approach. It is another feature of the present disclosure to provide a nail that may allow a distal portion of the nail to be free from anchoring members. It is an additional feature of the present disclosure, to provide a nail system in which a plurality of nails are provided having different lengths, and an intermediate opening may be provided at a uniform distance from the proximal end such that anchoring members may be installed in the intermediate openings using the same targeting jig.
In the foregoing Detailed Description, various features of the present disclosure are grouped together in a single embodiment for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed disclosure requires more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive aspects lie in less than all features of a single foregoing disclosed embodiment. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into this Detailed Description of the Disclosure by this reference, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment of the present disclosure.
The description of the invention is merely exemplary in nature and, thus, variations that do not depart from the gist of the invention are intended to be within the scope of the invention. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/818,734, filed Jul. 5, 2006.
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
60818734 | Jul 2006 | US |