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AssigneeOpus Medical, Inc.
InventorSeth A. Foerster
Estimating the term…
An innovative bone anchor and methods for securing connective tissue, such as tendons, to bone, which permit a suture attachment that lies entirely beneath the cortical bone surface. Advantageously, the suturing material between the connective tissue and the bone anchor is secured without the need for tying a knot. The suture attachment to the bone anchor involves the looping of a length of suturing material around a self-locking wedge block in the anchor, thereby avoiding an eyelet connection which requires a kot and which concentrates stress on a very small portion of the suturing material. Thus, failure rates are greatly decreased over conventional techniques, and the innovative procedures are significantly easier to perform than conventional techniques.
A bone anchor device for attaching connective tissue to bone, comprising:
A bone anchor device for attaching connective tissue to bone, comprising:
A bone anchor device for attaching connective tissue to bone, comprising:
A bone anchor device for attaching connective tissue to bone, comprising:
A bone anchor device for attaching connective tissue to bone, comprising:
A bone anchor device for attaching connective tissue to bone, comprising:
A method for securing connective tissue to bone, comprising:
A method for securing connective tissue to bone, comprising:
A bone anchor device for attaching connective tissue to bone, comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
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Muscles; Tendons; Ligaments: implements for inserting tendons or ligaments
For suturing wounds; Holders or packages for needles or suture materials: suture anchors, buttons or pledgets, i.e. means for attaching sutures to…
Muscles; Tendons; Ligaments: fixation devices for tendons or ligaments
For suturing wounds; Holders or packages for needles or suture materials: suture clamps, clips or locks, e.g. for replacing suture knots;…
Term end not estimated
This invention relates generally to methods and apparatus for attaching soft tissue to bone, and more particularly to anchors and methods for securing connective tissue, such as ligaments or tendons, to bone. The invention has particular application to arthroscopic surgical techniques for reattaching the rotator cuff to the humeral head, in order to repair the rotator cuff.
It is an increasingly common problem for tendons and other soft, connective tissues to tear or to detach from associated bone. One such type of tear or detachment is a “rotator cuff” tear, wherein the supraspinatus tendon separates from the humerus, causing pain and loss of ability to elevate and externally rotate the arm. Complete separation can occur if the shoulder is subjected to gross trauma, but typically, the tear begins as a small lesion, especially in older patients.
To repair a torn rotator cuff, the typical course today is to do so surgically, through a large incision. This approach is presently taken in almost 99% of rotator cuff repair cases. There are two types of open surgical approaches for repair of the rotator cuff, one known as the “classic open” and the other as the “mini-open”. The classic open approach requires a large incision and complete detachment of the deltoid muscle from the acromion to facilitate exposure. The cuff is debrided to ensure suture attachment to viable tissue and to create a reasonable edge approximation. In addition, the humeral head is abraded or notched at the proposed soft tissue to bone reattachment point, as healing is enhanced on a raw bone surface. A series of small diameter holes, referred to as “transosseous tunnels”, are “punched” through the bone laterally from the abraded or notched surface to a point on the outside surface of the greater tuberosity, commonly a distance of 2 to 3 cm. Finally, the cuff is sutured and secured to the bone by pulling the suture ends through the transosseous tunnels and tying them together using the bone between two successive tunnels as a bridge, after which the deltoid muscle must be surgically reattached to the acromion. Because of this maneuver, the deltoid requires postoperative protection, thus retarding rehabilitation and possibly resulting in residual weakness. Complete rehabilitation takes approximately 9 to 12 months.
Referring now more particularly to the drawings, there is shown in FIG. 1 a bone anchor 10 constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, comprising a body 12 which includes threads 14 on an outside surface thereof, a proximal lumen 16, and a tapered distal lumen 18 that communicates with the proximal lumen 16. A wedge body 20 includes a tapered end 22 and a lumen 24 through the wedge body 20. The lumen terminates in a large blend radius 26 at the distal end of the wedge body 20. A suture 28 which includes a bound leg 30 and a free leg 32 is threaded through the proximal lumen 16 and the wedge body lumen 24, passes around the large blend radius 26, and is redirected back through the proximal lumen 16. The bound leg 30 is considered bound because in practice, this leg of the suture is “bound” to the soft tissues to be attached to bone by virtue of passing the sutures through the tissues using conventional suturing techniques known in the art. The free leg 32 is considered “free” because the surgeon, in practice, has control over this leg of the suture with his or her hands.
In operation, as the surgeon pulls on the free leg 32 of the suture 28, the bound leg 30 of the suture follows through the bone anchor until such time as the tissues binding in the bound leg 30 of the suture 28 creates a tension in the suture 28. At this point, tension in the suture 28 tends to urge the wedge body 20 up into the tapered distal lumen 18, pinching the suture 28 between the tapered distal lumen 18 and the tapered end 22 of the wedge body 20. As the tension in the bound leg 30 of the suture 28 increases, the force on the wedge body 20 increases. In turn, the pinching force on the suture 28 also increases, creating a self-locking mechanism. The threads 14 on the exterior surface of the body 12 function to secure the bone anchor in surrounding bone material.
Referring now to FIGS. 2, 2A, and 2B, a second modified embodiment of the inventive bone anchor device 110 is illustrated, wherein like elements to those shown in FIG. 1 are designated by like reference numerals, preceded by the numeral “1”. The bone anchor device 110 comprises a distal wedge anchor portion 135 and a proximal driver portion 137, which are secured together mechanically in a coaxial arrangement by crimped segments 139 or other suitable means. As in the FIG. 1 embodiment, the distal wedge anchor portion 135 includes a body 112 which comprises a proximal lumen 116, a tapered distal lumen 118, and a wedge body 120 having a tapered end 122 and a large blend radius 126. A pin 141 may be disposed in a groove 142 on the wedge body 120, which is complementary to a groove 143 on an interior surface of the body 112 of the distal wedge anchor portion 135. When the pin 141 is disposed in the groove 142 and the groove 143, it functions as a retainer to keep the wedge body 120 in position in the distal lumen 118 of the device 110. This arrangement is particularly convenient when there is no suture threaded through the device, so that the device, though formed of separable elements, tends to remain unitary, thereby easing the already complicated job of the practitioner performing the repair procedure.