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US 6,224,604 B1Granted
Expandable orthopedic drill for vertebral interbody fusion techniques
OwnerLoubert Suddabyinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An expandable orthopedic drill includes a shaft provided with a handle at is proximal end. Several cutters are supported around the hub by a linkage which maintains the edges of the cutters at a predetermined angle to the axis of the tool. The cutters are driven outward from the shaft, expanding the effective size of the drill, by means of a sleeve. The sleeve is driven along the shaft by turning a nut engaged with threads on the shaft. Tapered holes may be produced by changing the lengths of the links.
Claims6
An expandable orthopedic drill comprising
- a shaft having a distal end and a proximal end,
- a handle having a driving connection to the proximal end of the shaft,
- a sleeve extending around a portion of the shaft and being movable lengthwise with respect to the shaft,
- means for moving the sleeve lengthwise with respect to the shaft,
- a plurality of cutters disposed in an array around the distal end of the shaft, and
- means, operated by relative lengthwise movement between the sleeve and the shaft, for moving the cutters outward from a retracted position to an expanded position, wherein
- the shaft has an intermediate portion with external helical threads, and the means for moving the sleeve lengthwise with respect to the shaft is a nut engageable with said threads.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.