Surgery – Instruments – Orthopedic instrumentation
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-08
2001-11-27
O'Connor, Cary E. (Department: 3732)
Surgery
Instruments
Orthopedic instrumentation
C606S101000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06322565
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND
The disclosures herein related generally to surgical instruments and more particularly to an avascular neucrosis instrument and a method of providing a regenerated blood supply to a femoral head.
Osteonecrosis of the femoral head is a progressive disease which involves a disruption of the blood supply causing a portion of the femoral head to die. One surgical approach to treating this disease is core decompression. This involves boring a canal which extends toward the femoral head, filling the bore with bone graft material, and regenerating blood supply to the femoral head via the canal. Various techniques have been used to regenerate blood supply to the femoral head to buy time before a total hip replacement is necessary. These techniques include vascularized and non-vascularized structural bone grafts inserted into the canal, and electric stimulation and osteoinductive grafts which modify the repair response. Decalcified bone matrix (DBM), tamped into the canal, has been shown to be osteoinductive. Other materials may also be suitable.
An important consideration is the effective distribution of the blood supply to the femoral head. The forming of a single canal is helpful but concentrates the regenerated blood supply to a single area or zone at the tip of the canal. This limits exposure of the blood supply to the area immediate adjacent the bore.
Therefore, what is needed is a more effective method of distribution of the blood supply to the femoral head, and a tool for providing an adequate but less concentrated distribution of the blood.
SUMMARY
One embodiment, accordingly, provides an instrument for forming an array of channels for the distribution of the blood supply to the femoral head so that the distribution is dispersed rather than concentrated. To this end, an avascular neucrosis instrument includes a drill guide member, an indexing member attached to the drill guide member, and a flexible drill member extending along the drill guide member and exiting the drill guide member at an angle.
A principal advantage of this embodiment is that an array of channels are provided by indexing the flexible drill member with respect to the drill guide member. As a result of the flexible drill member being indexed and extending at an angle relative to the drill guide member, an array of angled channels are formed to distribute blood supply in a patterned array to the femoral head.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5409489 (1995-04-01), Sioufi
Aaron, et al., Core Decompression Augmented With Human Decalcified Bone Matrix Graft For Osteonecrosis Of The Femoral Head, Osteoncrosis-Etiology, Diagnosis, and Treatment, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Section 9, pp.1-6.
Informational Brochure: DHS/DCS Dynamic Hip and Condylar Screw System, Synthes, pp. 1-28.
Garner Steven A.
Gray Wayne
Reyer William
Thornberry Robert
LandOfFree
Avascular neucrosis instrument and method does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Avascular neucrosis instrument and method, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Avascular neucrosis instrument and method will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2594055