Head-clamping device for surgical purposes

#The present invention relates to a head-clamping device for surgical purposes, specifically for intra-operatively fixing the patient's head in any anatomically possible position, the center of rotation of the head clamp being in the cervical vertebral region of the patient.

#Precise operations on the brain, particularly in neurosurgery, require that the head of the anesthetized patient should not move. This is achieved by a head-clamping device attached to the operating table.

#A head clamp in which the head is clamped between three steel arbors is known from U.S. Pat. No. 3,099,441. The points of these arbors are pressed into the skull by an adjustable force. The arbors are arranged on two diametrically opposed arms. One arm is provided with an axially adjustable clamp for one arbor and the other arm is provided with a clamp with two arbors which is also axially adjustable but is centrally pivoting.

#Other advantages, features, and applications of the present invention will appear from the following description of an embodiment in conjunction with the drawings, in which:

#FIG. 1 shows the front view of an embodiment of the head-clamping device according to the invention.

#FIG. 2 shows the side view of the embodiment of the head-clamping device according to the invention.

#FIGS. 1 and 2 clearly show the front and side views of all elements of the head-clamping device according to the invention. A frame 10 provided with two legs facing each other as illustrated in FIG. 7 is pivoted on an axis (x) and is attached to an operating table as shown in FIG. 8. A profile 7 pivoting on an axis (y) is attached to the frame 10, i.e. between the legs facing each other, the profile 7 acting together with the mating profile 1 as illustrated in FIG. 3 to be pivoting on an axis (z). Two head clamps 5, 6 carrying one clamping arbor 14 each are attached to the mating profile 1 so that they face each other. Another head clamp is attached to the lowest possible position of the mating profile 1.

#FIG. 3 shows the pivoting, profiled and graduated mating profile 1 having the shape of a circular segment which is designed for the NO movement (side-to-side movement). The back profile part 2 in the cross-sectional view is the male part of a dovetail guide having a circular-segment-shaped radian measure 3 of 170°. The back profile part 2 is therefore intended as an engaging member in the profile 7 shown in FIG. 4. The front profile part 4 is provided with a shoulder shown in the cross-sectional view and is intended for engaging the axially adjustable two-part head clamps 5, 6, 14 as they are shown in FIG. 5. Therefore, the back profile part 2 is a protruding dovetailed engaging part, whereas the front profile part 4 is a protruding part provided with a shoulder.

#FIG. 4 shows the side, front, top and cross-sectional views of a profiled circular-segment-shaped profile 7 for the YES movement (flexion, extension). The profile 7 has two recesses or holes 8, 9 used for pivoting it in the frame 10 (FIG. 7) on two axle shafts. The profile 7 has a back part and a front part 11 which is the female part of a dovetail guide which is intended for the engagement of the profile part 2 of the mating profile 1. In a tapped hole 12, the mating profile 1 can be non-positively fixed with a commercial clamping screw in the profile 7.