Ligament reconstruction guide assembly and methods of use
OwnerLonnie E. Paulosinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
One embodiment of a ligament reconstruction guide assembly comprises a bracket, a cannulated guide and a reference element. These assembly elements are combined and shaped in a manner that permit a surgeon to carefully position a bone tunnel in a ligament reconstruction procedure extending from a posterior position to the knee to an anterior position relative to the knee. The bone tunnel is positioned by the reference element posterior to the knee to an anterior position relative to the knee positioned by the cannulated guide. This combination and shape allows proper positioning of a drill and tunnel and reduces the possibility of wounds to the posterior elements of the knee during tunnel creation.
Claims22
A ligament reconstruction guide assembly for locating a tunnel through a bone for a joint ligament reconstruction, said ligament reconstruction guide assembly comprising:
- a reference element;
- a cannulated guide with a longitudinal bore having a longitudinal axis;
- the longitudinal axis being aligned relative to the reference element;
- a bracket connecting the reference element and the cannulated guide;
- and
- the bracket having a means to align the longitudinal axis relative to the reference element positioned from a posterior position to a bone.
A ligament reconstruction guide assembly for locating a tunnel through a bone for a joint ligament reconstruction, said ligament reconstruction guide assembly comprising:
- a means to provide a reference for positioning the creation of a bone tunnel;
- a means to guide a drill to create the bone tunnel;
- and
- a means to align the means to guide the drill and the means to provide the reference whereby the means to provide the reference can be positioned from a posterior position to a bone.
A method of creating a bone tunnel comprising the steps of:
- positioning a reference element posterior on a tibia through a posterior entry portal to locate a tibia tunnel exit point;
- positioning a distal end of a cannulated guide on the tibia to mark a tibia tunnel entry point;
- and
- drilling a tibial tunnel from the tibia tunnel entry point to the tibia tunnel exit point.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.