Ligament fixation device and method

Inventors

Hoover, Timothy R. • Helenbolt, Kenneth T. • Borden, Peter S. • Ishibashi, Yasuyuki

Assignees

Arthrex Inc

Abstract

Systems and methods for providing fixation of soft tissue (for example, ligament) to bone by employing a novel multi-piece device. The novel multi-piece device is a ligament fixation system consisting of a larger collar that is initially impacted into a bone aperture, and a smaller plug/bullet-shaped part that is impacted into the larger collar. During ligament repair/reconstruction, the graft is inserted into a bone tunnel with sutures from the graft extending outside the tunnel. The sutures are passed through a collar of the multi-part device and the collar is then inserted into the bone tunnel. The graft suture strands may be tensioned. Subsequently, the smaller plug/bullet-shaped part is impacted into the collar thereby maintaining the tension on the graft sutures. The plug/bullet-shaped part is tightened after the desired tension on the suture is achieved.

Core Innovation

The multi-part anchor system uses an outer piece, a sleeve received within the outer piece, and a tapered part received within the sleeve. The sleeve and the tapered part cooperate to hold a flexible strand for securing the flexible strand relative to a bone, and each of the outer piece, the sleeve, and the tapered part includes a collar portion and a cylindrical portion that extends from the collar portion.

The collar portion of the outer piece includes at least one tensioning spot, groove, or slit. The system is described as providing mechanical retention in the anchor structure and as enabling the flexible strand to be held by the cooperative arrangement of the sleeve and tapered part.

An alternative embodiment is described as a three-piece device including an outer threaded molly, an inner sleeve, and a tapered inner compression screw. The device is described in connection with ligament fixation and as a multi-piece anchor system designed to maintain initial tension and to seal off the tunnel opening.

Claims Coverage

The independent claim is directed to a multi-part anchor system with three nested components that cooperate to hold a flexible strand relative to a bone, and includes a collar feature in the outer piece that provides a tensioning spot, groove, or slit. The claim set includes dependent inventive features that specify cannulation arrangement, bone tunnel engagement structure, threaded or diameter relationships for cylindrical portions and collar portions, and PEEK material usage.

Across the claim set, the core claimed concept is the cooperative retention of a flexible strand relative to bone using a nested outer piece, sleeve, and tapered part, with collar-based tensioning features in the outer piece. Dependent features further define internal cannulations, outer bone-engaging structures for engaging a bone tunnel wall, threaded cylindrical geometry and diameter relationships, and inclusion of PEEK for at least one component.

Stated Advantages

Documented Applications