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US4881537A Expired / Lapsed US ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Surgical instrument, and methods for forming a channel in a femoral condyle including reconstructing an anterior cruciate ligament

Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1988-08-10
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Granted: 1989-11-21
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Expires: 2008-08-10
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Abstract

Abstract A surgical instrument having a cutting end which includes a pair of grooves to provide a structure having a pair of opposed flanges. The back of the surgical instrument has a back channel. A pair of cutting edges are provided on the surgical instrument. The cutting edges are generally offset and parallel with respect to each other. A method for forming a channel in a femoral condyle of a knee joint of a person, and a method for reconstructing an anterior cruciate ligament of a knee joint of a person. The methods comprise using the surgical instrument in an inside-out fashion, as opposed to an outside-in fashion, in order to cut a trough into a femoral condyle.

Inventors

  • 👤 Charles Henning

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction US
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-10-22 23:48
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61B; A61B17/00; A61B17/16; A61B17/1662; A61B17/1675; A61B17/1604

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 22
Claim 1
Independent Claim 100 words
A surgical instrument comprising a shank means having a pair of shank sides, a shank back and a shank front and a cutting end means and a handle end means; said cutting end means having a pair of grooves in said shank front and along said pair of shank sides such that said cutting end means has a structure defining a pair of opposed flanges; said shank back having a back channel; a first cutting member secured on said shank front at said cutting end means; and a second cutting member superimposed on said first cutting member and secured thereto.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 100 words
A surgical instrument comprising a shank means having a pair of shank sides, a shank back and a shank front and a cutting end means and a handle end means; said cutting end means having a pair of grooves in said shank front and along said pair of shank sides such that said cutting end means has a structure defining a pair of opposed flanges; said shank back having a back channel; a first cutting member secured on said shank front at said cutting end means; and a second cutting member superimposed on said first cutting member and secured thereto.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 19 words
The surgical instrument of claim 1 wherein one of said opposed flanges has a structure defining a beveled edge.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 26 words
The surgical instrument of claim 1 wherein said back channel extends in said shank back along the suture thereof and terminates in an open channel end.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 37 words
The surgical instrument of claim 1 wherein said first cutting member has a first cutting edge and said second cutting member has a second cutting edge that is substantially parallel with respect to the first cutting edge.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 18 words
The surgical instrument of claim 4 wherein said first cutting edge is longer than said second cutting edge.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 17 words
The surgical instrument of claim 1 wherein one of said flanges is formed with a rounded corner.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim 18 words
The surgical instrument of claim 1 wherein said handle end means has a structure defining a handle aperture.
Claim 9
Independent Claim 194 words
A method for reconstructing an anterior cruciate ligament of a person comprising the steps of: (a) forming a surgical instrument having a channel in the back thereof and a cutting end means with a first cutting edge, a second cutting edge generally parallel to the first cutting edge, and a pair of opposed flanges wherein one of the flanges has a beveled edge; (b) forming a surgical opening through a skin tissue that surrounds a lance joint of a person, wherein said lance joint comprises a posterior femoral metaphysis, a posterior femoral notch, a medial femoral condyle, a tibia, a lateral femoral condyle, and a distal femur; (c) inserting the cutting end means through the surgical opening until the first and second cutting edges are disposed in the posterior femoral notch against the lateral femoral condyle and the beveled edge is flushed against the posterior femoral metaphysis; (d) inserting a guide wire through the channel of the surgical instrument and into the medial femoral condyle; and (e) pulling the surgical instrument along the guide wire causing the first cutting edge and the second cutting edge to cut and remove lateral femoral condyle bone fragments.
Claim 10
Independent Claim 194 words
A method for reconstructing an anterior cruciate ligament of a person comprising the steps of: (a) forming a surgical instrument having a channel in the back thereof and a cutting end means with a first cutting edge, a second cutting edge generally parallel to the first cutting edge, and a pair of opposed flanges wherein one of the flanges has a beveled edge; (b) forming a surgical opening through a skin tissue that surrounds a lance joint of a person, wherein said lance joint comprises a posterior femoral metaphysis, a posterior femoral notch, a medial femoral condyle, a tibia, a lateral femoral condyle, and a distal femur; (c) inserting the cutting end means through the surgical opening until the first and second cutting edges are disposed in the posterior femoral notch against the lateral femoral condyle and the beveled edge is flushed against the posterior femoral metaphysis; (d) inserting a guide wire through the channel of the surgical instrument and into the medial femoral condyle; and (e) pulling the surgical instrument along the guide wire causing the first cutting edge and the second cutting edge to cut and remove lateral femoral condyle bone fragments.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim 22 words
The method of claim 8 additionally comprising cleaning the removed lateral femoral condyle bone fragments from the first and second cutting edges.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim 44 words
The method of claim 8 additionally comprising moving through the surgical opening the surgical instrument along the guide wire while the same is in the channel until the first and second cutting edges are against the lateral femoral condyle again and repeating step (e).
Claim 13
Dependent Claim 42 words
The method of claim 10 additionally comprising repeating the steps of claim 10 until a suture channel is formed in the lateral femoral condyle and a bone block channel is also formed in the lateral femoral condyle imposed to the suture channel.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim 23 words
The method of claim 11 additionally comprising forming a patellar bone block having sutures and an end of a patellar tendon secured thereto.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim 29 words
The method of claim 12 additionally comprising forming a tibia bone block with tibia sutures and having another end of the patellar tendon secured to the tibia bone block.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim 45 words
The method of claim 13 additionally comprising inserting a screw means through said distal femur; disposing said sutures of said patellar bone block in said suture channel and said patellar bone block in said bone block channel; and securing said sutures to said screw means.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim 23 words
The method of claim 14 additionally comprising securing said tibia bone block to said tibia; and securing said tibia sutures to said tibia.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim 11 words
The method of claim 15 additionally comprising closing the surgical opening.
Claim 19
Independent Claim 202 words
A method for forming a channel in a femoral condyle of a lance joint of a person comprising the steps of: (a) forming a surgical instrument having a channel in the back thereof and a cutting end means with a first cutting edge, a second cutting edge generally parallel to the first cutting edge, and a pair of opposed flanges wherein one of the flanges has a beveled edge; (b) forming a surgical opening through a skin tissue that surrounds a lance joint of a person, wherein said lance joint comprises a posterior femoral notch, a femoral metaphysis, a medial femoral condyle, and a femoral condyle; (c) inserting the cutting end means through the surgical opening until the first and second cutting edges are disposed in the posterior femoral notch against the femoral condyle and the beveled edge is flushed against the femoral metaphysis; (d) inserting a guide wire through the channel of the surgical instrument and into the medical femoral condyle; and (e) pulling the surgical instrument along the guide wire outwardly and subsequently pushing inwardly the surgical instrument along the guide wire until the first cutting edge and the second cutting edge have cut a channel in the femoral condyle.
Claim 20
Independent Claim 202 words
A method for forming a channel in a femoral condyle of a lance joint of a person comprising the steps of: (a) forming a surgical instrument having a channel in the back thereof and a cutting end means with a first cutting edge, a second cutting edge generally parallel to the first cutting edge, and a pair of opposed flanges wherein one of the flanges has a beveled edge; (b) forming a surgical opening through a skin tissue that surrounds a lance joint of a person, wherein said lance joint comprises a posterior femoral notch, a femoral metaphysis, a medial femoral condyle, and a femoral condyle; (c) inserting the cutting end means through the surgical opening until the first and second cutting edges are disposed in the posterior femoral notch against the femoral condyle and the beveled edge is flushed against the femoral metaphysis; (d) inserting a guide wire through the channel of the surgical instrument and into the medical femoral condyle; and (e) pulling the surgical instrument along the guide wire outwardly and subsequently pushing inwardly the surgical instrument along the guide wire until the first cutting edge and the second cutting edge have cut a channel in the femoral condyle.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim 26 words
The surgical instrument of claim 6 wherein the rear of one of the flanges opposed to the flange with the beveled edge has a round edge.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim 17 words
The surgical instrument of claim 18 wherein said flange having said rounded edge has said rounded corner.

References Cited (Backward Citations)

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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Annuity Stage Window Opens Payment Deadline Surcharge Period Until Estimated Fee Status
3.5 Years (Year 4) 1992-11-20 1993-05-22 1993-11-21 $2000.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8) 1996-11-20 1997-05-22 1997-11-21 $3760.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12) 2000-11-20 2001-05-22 2001-11-21 $7700.00 Window Closed / Lapsed

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