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US 4,791,919 AGranted
Surgical instruments
AssigneeChas F Thackray Limited
InventorsMartin A. Elloy, Robert Johnson
Life of this patent
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AssigneeChas F Thackray Limited
InventorsMartin A. Elloy, Robert Johnson
Estimating the term…
Instruments for use in the surgical implanation of a knee prosthesis including a femoral alignment rod for insertion into the medulla of a femur through an access hole located between the femoral condyles. The rod is resiliently deformable so that once the rod is fully inserted within the medulla the portion of the rod located within the medulla contacts the inner walls of the bone defining the medulla and is thus caused to bend. The access hole through which the rod is inserted is sufficiently larger than the diameter of the rod so as to impose no physical constraint on the rod for allowing the portion of the rod which protrudes from the access hole to extend linearly along an axis the position of which is determined by points of contact within the medulla between the rod and the inner walls of the medulla. According to further embodiments, the invention includes an angle adaptor for slideably and rotatably accommodating the protruding end of the alignment rod, and a method of surgically implanting a femoral component of a knee prosthesis.
A set of instruments for use in the surgical implantation of a knee prosthesis, the set including:
In a method of implanting a knee prosthesis, the steps of
In a method of implanting a knee prosthesis, the steps of making an access hole in the proximal end of the tibia, inserting one end of a tibial alignment rod in the tibial medulla as far as possible with the other end protruding from the end of the tibia, sliding one or more cutting tools over the protruding tibial alignment rod, and cutting a recess or recesses into the tibia which are centered on an axis which is parallel to but horizontally displaced from the longitudinal axis of the tibial alignment rod.
A femoral alignment rod for insertion within the medulla of a femur during surgical implantation of a knee prosthesis, the alignment rod being of intact integral unitary construction, and having a first blunt end for insertion within the medulla of the femur through an access hole located between the femoral condyles, and a second end opposite said first end, the length of the rod between said two ends being sufficient, with respect to the particular femur undergoing surgery, and the rod being sufficiently flexible, to allow said second end to protrude from said access hole whilst said first end is located within the medulla at least beyond the lesser trochanter, the rod also being resilient and the access hole being sufficiently larger than the diameter of the rod to impose no physical constraint thereon, such that once the rod is fully inserted within the medulla as aforesaid, the portion of the rod located within the medulla contacts the inner walls of the bone defining the medulla, whereby the portion of the rod which protrudes from the access hole is allowed to extend linearly along an axis the position of which is dictated by points of contact within the medulla between the rod and the inner walls of the medulla.
A femoral alignment rod for insertion within the medulla of a femur during surgical implantation of a knee prosthesis, the alignment rod having a first blunt end for insertion within the medulla of the femur through an access hole located between the femoral condyles, and a second end opposite said first end, the length of the rod between said two ends being sufficient, with respect to the particular femur undergoing surgery, and the rod being sufficiently flexible, to allow said second end to protrude from said access hole whilst said first end is located within the medulla at least beyond the lesser trochanter, the rod also being resilient and the access hole being sufficiently larger than the diameter of the rod to impose no physical constraint thereon, such that once the rod is fully inserted within the medulla as aforesaid, the portion of the rod located within the medulla contacts the inner walls of the bone defining the medulla, whereby the portion of the rod which protrudes from the access hole is allowed to extend linearly along an axis the position of which is dictated by points of contact within the medulla between the rod and the inner walls of the medulla, the rod further having an excavation adjacent said second end and within the confines of the profile of the rod for accommodating means releasably attachable thereat for thereby rotating, pulling and pushing the rod relative to the femur and its medulla.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.