Aiming device having radio-opaque markers
AssigneeDePuy Synthes Products, Inc.
InventorsOliviero Durante, Tom Overes, Bruno Walter
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An aiming arm can include at least a pair of radiographic markers that define a first radiographic image characteristic when a radiographic image source is not adequately aligned with the aiming arm, and a second desired radiographic image characteristic when the radiographic image source is adequately aligned with the aiming arm. Once the radiographic image source has been aligned with the aiming arm, the position of the aiming arm relative to an underlying implant can be visually inspected to determine whether the aiming arm is aligned with the underlying implant.
Claims19
An aiming arm configured to be aligned with an implant, the aiming arm comprising:
- a body defining at least one aperture, the aperture defining a central axis that extends along a first plane, the central axis intersecting a major axis of the body that lies in the first plane, the body defining at least first and second straight linear radio-opaque markers,
- wherein the first and second straight linear radio-opaque markers extend in a second plane and are spaced from each other along the second plane, the second plane being parallel to the first plane, and each of the first and second straight linear radio-opaque markers defines a respective location, such that the location of the first straight linear radio-opaque marker is offset with respect to the location of the second straight linear radio-opaque marker along both a direction that is substantially parallel to the central axis of the at least one aperture, and a direction that is parallel to the major axis,
- wherein when a radiographic image is taken of the aiming arm from a first viewpoint such that the aiming arm is aligned with a source of the radiographic image, the first and second straight linear radio-opaque markers combine to define an unbroken substantially straight line, and when a radiographic image is taken of the aiming arm from a second viewpoint different from the first viewpoint, the first and second straight linear radio-opaque markers combine to define a jagged line.
A bone fixation system comprising:
- an aiming arm that defines at least one aperture on a major axis of the aiming arm, the major axis extending along a major direction, the aiming arm carrying a plurality of linear markers, the plurality of linear markers comprising at least a pair of radio-opaque markers that are elongate along a direction that includes a directional component that includes the major direction, each of the pair of radio-opaque markers defining a gap therebetween, such that 1) when a radiographic image is taken of the aiming arm from a first viewpoint while the aiming arm is not aligned with a source of the radiographic image, no others of the plurality of linear markers cooperates with the pair of radio-opaque markers to define a single unbroken substantially straight line that extends across the gap and 2) when a radiographic image is taken of the aiming arm from a second viewpoint different from the first viewpoint such that the aiming arm is aligned with the source of the radiographic image, a radio-opaque marker of the plurality of linear markers is disposed in the gap and cooperates with the pair of radio-opaque markers to define the singular unbroken substantially straight line across the gap.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.