Retrodrill technique for insertion of autograft, allograft or synthetic osteochondral implants
AssigneeArthrex, Inc.
InventorReinhold Schmieding
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Osteochondral sockets are formed using a retrograde drill assembly. The retrograde drill assembly includes a guide pin having a fluted tip and an externally threaded portion. A removable cutter head has internal threads that engage the threads of the guide pin. The guide pin is drilled through bone, exposing the external threads in a joint space requiring repair. The cutter is threaded onto the guide pin, and the assembly is retrograded with rotation to form a socket in the bone. The cutter is disengaged from the guide pin for disassembly and removal from the bone, making way for an implant to be installed in the pocket. The implant can be drawn into the socket using an attached strand threaded through the bone socket and out of the bone.
Claims21
A retrograde drill comprising:
- a cutting head having a threaded cannulation extending through the cutting head, and longitudinal cutting blades;
- and
- a guide pin having shaft with a proximal end and a distal end, and outer threads formed proximal to the distal end on the outside of the shaft and corresponding to inner threads of the threaded cannulation of the cutting head, the distal end of the guide pin having a fluted drill tip for drilling bone.
A method of forming an osteochondral socket in bone comprising:
- rotating and advancing a guide pin having a fluted distal end through bone to expose outside the bone a threaded portion of the guide pin having external threads formed proximal to the fluted distal end;
- assembling a cannulated cutter onto the threaded portion of the guide pin by way of internal threads formed on the cutter and corresponding to the external threads of the guide pin to form a cutting assembly;
- and
- rotating and retrograding the cutting assembly to form a socket in the bone.
A method of repairing osteochondral lesions comprising:
- rotating and advancing a cannulated guide pin having a fluted distal end into tibial bone and out through a tibial lesion to expose a threaded portion of the guide pin having external threads formed proximal to the fluted distal end;
- assembling a cannulated cutter onto the threaded portion of the guide pin by way of internal threads formed on the cutter and corresponding to the external threads of the guide pin to form a cutting assembly;
- and
- rotating and retrograding the cutting assembly to cut a socket in the tibia.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.