Graft suspension device

• US 20010041938A1
• Filed: 12/11/2000
• Published: 11/15/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ArthroCare Corporation (Smith & Nephew PLC)
• Original Assignee: Atlantech Medical Devices Limited (Smith & Nephew PLC)
• Inventors: Hein, Dietmar
• Granted Patent: US 6,517,578 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 623/13.13
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/0401 Suture anchors, buttons or pledgets, i.e. means for attaching sutures to bone, cartilage or soft tissue; Instruments for applying or removing suture anchors A61B17/0642 takes precedence; fixation devices for tendons or ligaments A61F2/0811
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0404 Buttons
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0496 for tensioning sutures
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/06185 hollow or tubular
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/0811 Fixation devices for tendons or ligaments
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/0852 Fixation of a loop or U-turn, e.g. eyelets, anchor having multiple holes
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/087 Anchor integrated into tendons, e.g. bone blocks, integrated rings
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/0882 Anchor in or on top of a bone tunnel, i.e. a hole running through the entire bone

Abstract

The invention describes a graft suspension device 2 for suspending a ligament in a bone hole. The suspension device 2 comprises a first loop 4 and second loop 6 suspended from an anchor 8 and has a cradle 10 at the opposite end of the loop to the anchor. Ligament grafts (not shown) are looped over the cradle 10 and loose ends 30,32 may be pulled by finger loops 22, 24 whereby the surgeon can adjust the distance of the cradle 10 from the anchor 8 thereby tensioning the grafts as desired.

Claims

1. A graft suspension device for a ligament fixation graft comprising suspension means for suspending a ligament in a bone hole, the suspension means having anchoring means at one end thereof, ligament cradling means at the other end thereof and an adjustable length suspension line therebetween, the suspension line being formed into at least two loops engaging the said anchoring means, wherein the cradling means comprises a sleeve portion through which the ends of at least a first of the said at least two loops are threaded in opposite directions to cross-over in the sleeve portion and emerge at opposite ends of the said sleeve portion.

2. A graft suspension device according to

claim 1

, wherein the sleeve portion forms part of a second of the said at least two loops.

3. A graft suspension device according to

claim 1

, wherein the sleeve portion forms an integral part of the said second loop.

4. A graft suspension device according to

claim 1

, wherein the sleeve portion is part of a second hollow loop whereby inlet and outlet eyes are formed in the hollow loop at spaced intervals to thereby form a sleeve portion through which the ends of the said first loop are threaded.

5. A graft suspension device according to

claim 1

, wherein the ends of the suspension line remain separate from each other.

6. A graft suspension device according to

claim 1

, wherein the ends of the line are adapted to include gripping elements to allow each end to be held and adjusted with respect to the sleeve portion to thereby effect shortening of the overall loop length and tensioning of the ligament.

7. A graft suspension device according to

claim 1

, wherein the loops of the suspension line are formed from a single line so that a loop is formed and then threaded back through the anchor to form a further loop which is completed by threading through the sleeve so that the ends of the further loop cross over therein.

8. A graft suspension device according to

claim 1

, wherein the suspension line is a suture.

9. A graft suspension device according to

claim 8

, wherein the suspension line is a hollow suture comprising a plurality of threads, the threads being plaited together to form a hollow tubular suture such as a braided suture.

10. A graft suspension device according to

claim 1

, wherein the sleeve portion is sufficiently long to suspendingly accommodate a ligament fixation graft thereover but sufficiently short to facilitate efficient adjustment of the suspension line length by urging the ends of the said first loop away from the said sleeve portion.

11. A graft suspension device according to

claim 1

, wherein the anchoring means is secured to the outside of the opposite side of the bone to the opening to the bone tunnel.

15. A graft suspension device according to

claim 1

, wherein the anchoring means is of conventional construction for securement to the outside of a bone.

16. A graft suspension device according to

claim 1

, wherein the anchoring means includes a pair of apertures through which the ends of the suspension suture may be threaded during loop formation.

17. A graft suspension device according to

claim 1

, wherein the cradle is formed by the space between the pair of apertures in the hollow suture.

12. A method of producing a graft suspension device comprising the steps of:

forming a hollow suspension line into a loop having overlapping ends;

forming a pair of spaced apertures in the said suspension line loop to form a sleeve portion therein opposite the overlapping ends and

forming the overlapping ends into a further loop comprising threading each of the ends through the said sleeve portion in opposite directions to cross over in the sleeve portion and emerge at opposite ends of the said sleeve portion.

13. A method of producing a graft suspension device according to

claim 12

, wherein the method includes the further step of adapting the ends to include gripping elements to simplify adjustment of the position thereof with respect to the sleeve portion.

14. A method of producing a graft suspension device according to either

claim 12

, wherein the suspension line is a suture for use in ligament fixation.

18. A method of producing a graft suspension device according to any of

claim 12

, wherein the initial loop is formed by locating the cradle part of the suture opposite the anchoring means and threading the first end of the suture through a first aperture of a pair of spaced apertures on the anchoring means and threading the second end of the suture through the second aperture of the pair of spaced apertures.

19. A method of producing a graft suspension device according to

claim 12

, wherein a further loop is formed by first threading each of the ends of the suture back through the anchoring means, respectively through the alternative aperture of the pair of apertures, and secondly, threading each end through apertures formed in the initial loop and through the sleeve portion therebetween, each end being so threaded in opposite directions to cross over in the sleeve portion and emerge at the opposite end thereof.

20. A method of graft fixation comprising the steps of:

forming a bone hole suitable for graft fixation therein;

locating a graft over the cradle end of a graft suspension device in accordance with the first aspect of the present invention, and

anchoring the said device to the bone so that the cradle end thereof extends into such a bone hole from the closed end thereof with the graft suspended therefrom in the direction of the entrance to the bone hole.

21. A method of graft fixation according to

claim 20

, wherein the loop length is adjusted to be in excess of that required for graft fixation prior to use so that the loop ends may be simply pulled to shorten the loop to the required length either before or during fixation.

22. A method of graft fixation according to

claim 20

, wherein the suspension device is located in the bone tunnel via a suture passing channel.