Forked plate

Details Forked plate Forked plate

1995-11-06

1997-10-07

Buiz, Michael

Surgery

Instruments

Orthopedic instrumentation

606 65, A61B 1776

Patent

active

056742223

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to an angled forked bone plate and in particular, an angled bone plate having a plurality of prongs adaptable to a variety of applications.


BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Angled forked bone plates are generally suited for treatment of fractures and for osteotomies, particularly on the proximal and distal femur, on the proximal tibia and on the proximal humerus, or for arthrodeses at all joints.
Matching the multiplicity of options for application, the number of different versions of such forked plates is very large, resulting in expensive and complex inventory maintenance and logistics.
For this, the invention affords a remedy. The invention is intended to create a generic-type bone plate that permits adaptation to the various usage options without great expense, even at the intraoperative stage.


SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONS

In accordance with the invention, a bone plate is provided with a longitudinal shaft section and at least two prongs attached in a forked configuration to one end of the shaft section, said prongs being bent at an angle of 60.degree. to 150.degree. relative to the longitudinal axis of the shaft section and means for lengthening said prongs individually. Additional advantageous configurations of the invention are characterized in the subsidiary claims.
The forklike prongs--depending on the application--are bent at an angle .alpha. from 60.degree. to 150.degree. (such as 87.degree., 95.degree. or 135.degree.) with reference to the longitudinal axis of the shaft section and can be lengthened individually. This can be done in essentially two different ways.
In one configuration, the prongs, at their distal ends, are equipped with devices that permit a lengthening of the prongs by joining them with a longitudinal lengthening piece, such as a lengthening bolt that can be screwed into the appropriately configured prong end.
In another configuration, the prongs are hollow throughout, so that a longitudinal lengthening piece, such as a bone screw, can be screwed into the bone via the distal end of the hollow prongs.
Enabling the prongs to be lengthened results in greatly reduced inventory maintenance (fewer models are needed, and in principle even a single universally applicable and adaptable model suffices).
In one preferred configuration of the invention, the prongs bifurcate even before the shaft section ends, preferably at least 1 mm before the prongs are bent at angle .alpha. from the longitudinal axis. The degree of the early bifurcation of the prongs depends on the plate design and dimensions, and particularly on the thickness of the shaft section. In relation to the latter, the prongs most appropriately should originate at a point at least 0.1, and preferably 0.3, of the thickness of the shaft section before the bending site.
The early bifurcation of the prongs in the longitudinal shaft section results in better stability of the plate, as well as in an overall improved fracture and bending stability.
The optimal number of prongs is governed by the application of the forked plate; as a rule, two-pronged plates are preferred. However, bone plates having at least three prongs, in which the prongs do not all lie in a common plane, are also contemplated. The size of the free space between the individual prongs likewise depends on the area of application; preferably it should be at least half the smallest diameter of the prongs. In order for a bone screw to be fitted in between the two prongs, the space should be most appropriately at least 3 mm, and preferably 5 mm. The bone screw can be placed through one of the upper boreholes of the shaft section diagonally upwards between the two central prongs, resulting in a particularly solid triangular structure. For this purpose, at least one, and preferably two, boreholes, placed nearest to the prongs, should be positioned in the shaft section in such a way that they allow an axial bending of the bone screw to be inserted at an angle .beta. from 10.degree.-50.degree. relative to the borehole axis.
The

REFERENCES:
patent: 3256877 (1966-06-01), Haboush
patent: 4838252 (1989-06-01), Klaue
patent: 4905680 (1990-03-01), Tunc

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