Suture anchor
OwnerPeter M. Bonuttiinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An improved suture anchor is formed from body tissue. The body tissue is shaped to a desired configuration for the anchor and defines a passage through the anchor. A suture is inserted into the passage in the body tissue of the anchor. The anchor is then positioned in a patient's body with a suture extending into the passage in the anchor. The anchor may be formed of osseous body tissue, hard compact bone, dense connective body tissue, or other body tissue. The body tissue may be dried so that it absorbs fluid and expands upon being inserted into a patient's body.
Claims52
A method of anchoring a suture, said method comprising the steps of forming an anchor of body tissue, said step of forming an anchor of body tissue includes forming an outer side surface of the anchor defined by body tissue while a thin member extends into the body tissue and, thereafter, removing the thin member from the body tissue to form a passage in the anchor, inserting a suture into the passage, and positioning the anchor formed of body tissue in a patient's body with the suture extending into the passage formed in the anchor.
A method as set forth in claim 11 wherein said step of forming an anchor of body tissue further includes moving the thin member into the body tissue, said step of forming an outer side surface of the anchor defined by body tissue includes moving a cutting tool along the thin member and cutting the body tissue with the cutting tool while moving the cutting tool along the thin member.
A method of anchoring a suture, said method comprising the steps of inserting a thin elongated member into osseous tissue, moving a cutting tool axially along the thin elongated member into engagement with the osseous tissue at a location spaced from the thin elongated member and extending around a portion of the thin elongated member, moving the cutting tool into the osseous tissue by cutting the osseous tissue with the cutting tool while continuing to move the cutting tool axially along the thin elongated member, said step of moving the cutting tool into the osseous tissue includes guiding movement of the cutting tool into the osseous tissue with the thin elongated member, separating a portion of the osseous tissue having an outer side surface formed by the cutting tool from the remainder of the osseous tissue, removing the thin elongated member from the osseous tissue to leave a passage at the location where the thin elongated member was inserted into the osseous tissue, inserting a suture into the passage in the osseous tissue, and inserting at least part of the portion of the osseous tissue having an outer side surface formed by the cutting tool and a portion of the suture into a patient's body with the suture extending into the passage in the osseous tissue.
A method of anchoring a suture, said method comprising the steps of forming a piece of bone to have first and second circular ends, a cylindrical an outer side surface extending between said first and second ends, and a passage extending through the piece of bone from the first end to the second end, inserting a suture into the passage in the piece of bone, and inserting the piece of bone into body tissue with the first circular end of the piece of bone leading, with the second circular end of the piece of bone trailing, and with the suture extending from the passage in the piece of bone, said step of inserting the piece of bone into the body tissue includes applying force against the trailing second circular end of the piece of bone with an inserter member.
A method of anchoring a suture, said method comprising the steps of forming a cylindrical anchor of hard compact bone, said step of forming a cylindrical anchor of hard compact bone includes forming a core having a cylindrical outer side surface formed of hard compact bone and a passage extending through the core, said core having an axial extent which is greater than a desired length of the anchor, and cutting from the core a cylindrical piece of hard compact bone which has an axial extent corresponding to the desired length of the anchor and through which the passage axially extends, said method further including the steps of inserting a suture into the passage in the cylindrical piece of hard compact bone which forms the anchor, and positioning the cylindrical piece of hard compact bone which forms the anchor in a patient's body with the suture extending into the passage formed in the cylindrical piece of hard compact bone.
A method of anchoring a suture, said method comprising the steps of inserting a thin elongated member into hard compact bone, moving a rotating cutting tool into the hard compact bone by cutting the hard compact bone with the rotating cutting tool while the thin elongated member extends into the hard compact bone, removing the thin elongated member from the hard compact bone to leave a passage at the location where the thin elongated member was inserted into the hard compact bone, inserting a suture into the passage in the hard compact bone, and inserting the hard compact bone having an outer side surface formed by the cutting tool and a portion of the suture into a patient's body with the suture extending into the passage in the hard compact bone.
A method of anchoring a suture, said method comprising the steps of forming an anchor of body tissue, said step of forming an anchor of body tissue includes rotating a thin elongated member and a cutting tool together about a longitudinal axis of the thin elongated member, simultaneously moving the rotating cutting tool and rotating thin elongated member into the body tissue, forming a cylindrical outer side surface of a core of body tissue with the rotating cutting tool as the rotating cutting tool is moved into the body tissue, forming a passage extending axially through the core of body tissue with the rotating thin elongated member as the rotating thin elongated member is moved into the body tissue, removing the core of body tissue from body tissue from which the core was cut by the rotating cutting tool, said core of body tissue having an axial extent which is greater than a desired length of the anchor, removing the thin elongated member from the core of body tissue to form a passage extending through the core of body tissue, and cutting from the core of body tissue a cylindrical piece of body tissue having an axial extent corresponding to the desired length of the anchor and through which the passage extends, said method further including the steps of inserting a suture into the passage formed in the cylindrical piece of body tissue which forms the anchor, and positioning the cylindrical piece of body tissue which forms the anchor in a patient's body with the suture extending into the passage formed in the cylindrical piece of body tissue, said step of positioning the cylindrical piece of body tissue which forms the anchor in a patient's body includes applying force against a trailing end of the anchor with a tubular inserter member having a passage through which a first portion of the suture extends and pivoting the anchor relative to the tubular inserter member by tensioning a second portion of the suture to apply force to a leading end of the anchor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.