Joint fixation system and method

An instrument kit for preparing and stabilizing a bone joint for fusion, adapted for the finger joint of first and second phalanxes, comprising:

• a combination template including an elongated inverted channel having an upper face, parallel sides depending downwardly from said face, a drill guide means and a saw guide means;
• a guide bore bit having a shank for securement in a hand-held rotary drill;
• a saw blade with means for attaching to a reciprocating saw;
• a smoother to cooperate with a guide bore formed by said bit;
• an elongated fixation plate having a plurality of apertures;
• a compression screw assembly including an elongated and threaded shaft and a releasable anchor means at the distal end of said shaft for passing through one of said apertures and the first and second phalanxes and securing said assembly in the distal end of said second phalanx;
• a threaded shoulder nut for applying a force tending to pull said shaft outwardly from said guide bore to create a compressive force on said first and second phalanx joint;
• and
• driver tool means for rotating said screw assembly to operate said anchor means and for rotating said shoulder nut to secure said assembly.

An instrument kit for preparing and stabilizing a bone joint for fusion, adapted for the finger joint of a first and second phalanxes, comprising:

• a combination template including an elongated inverted channel having an upper face, parallel sides depending downwardly from said face, a drill guide means and a saw guide means;
• a guide bore bit having a shank for securement in a hand-held rotary drill;
• a saw blade with means for attaching to a reciprocating saw;
• a rotatable smoothing disk having a shank for securement in a hand-held rotary drill;
• an elongated fixation plate having a plurality of apertures;
• a compression screw assembly including an elongated and threaded shaft and a releasable anchor means at the distal end of said shaft for passing through one of said apertures and the first and second phalanxes and securing said assembly in the distal end of said second phalanx, said releasable anchor means comprising a fixed collar rotatably engaged to a smooth shoulder at the distal end of said screw assembly, a threaded lead nut spaced from said collar on said shaft, a plurality of semi-flexible friction prongs extending outwardly from the peripheries of said collar and said lead nut to engage said guide bore and prevent the rotation of said nut and said collar, and a plurality of flexible strands extending in overlapping helices between said nut and said collar, whereby the rotation of said shaft advances said lead nut toward said collar and forces said strands to expand outwardly in a helical fashion into the surrounding bone to secure said assembly inside said guide bore;
• a threaded shoulder nut for applying a force tending to pull said shaft outwardly from said guide bore to create a compressive force on said first and second phalanx joint;
• and
• a dual function driver tool for rotating said screw assembly to operate said anchor means and for rotating said shoulder nut to secure said assembly.

An instrument kit for preparing and stabilizing a bone joint for fusion, adapted for the finger joints, comprising:

• a combination template including an elongated inverted channel having an upper face, parallel sides depending downwardly from said face, a drill guide means and a saw guide means;
• a guide bore bit having a shank for securement in a hand-held rotary drill;
• a saw blade with means for attaching to a reciprocating saw;
• a rotatable smoothing disk having a shank for securement in a hand-held rotary drill;
• an elongated fixation plate having a plurality of apertures;
• a compression screw assembly including an elongated and threaded shaft and a releasable anchor means at the distal end of said shaft for passing through one of said apertures and the first and second phalanxes and securing said assembly in the distal end of said second phalanx, said anchoring means comprising an extension screw having a fixed collar at its distal end, a non-threaded lead nut spaced from said collar on said shaft, a plurality of semi-flexible friction prongs extending outwardly from the peripheries of said fixed collar and said non-threaded lead nut to engage said guide bore and prevent the rotation of said nut and said collar, and a plurality of flexible strands extending in overlapping helices between said nut and said collar, whereby the proximal end of said extension screw threads into the distal end of said screw shaft and the rotation of said shaft pushes said lead nut toward said collar and forces said strands to expand outwardly in a helical fashion into the surrounding bone to secure said assembly inside said guide bore;
• a threaded shoulder nut for applying a force tending to pull said shaft outwardly from said guide bore to create a compressive force on said first and second phalanx joint;
• and
• a dual function driver tool for rotating said screw assembly to operate said anchor means and for rotating said shoulder nut to secure said assembly.