Modular bone plate system

• US 20090082813A1
• Filed: 09/26/2007
• Published: 03/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Biomet Incorporated (Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Depuy Products Incorporated (Johnson & Johnson)
• Inventors: Huffman, Bart R., Marbaugh, Kelly R., Long, Jack F.
• Granted Patent: US 8,343,154 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/282
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/80 Cortical plates , i.e. bone plates; Instruments for holding or positioning cortical plates, or for compressing bones attached to cortical plates
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/8052 immobilised relative to screws by interlocking form of the heads and plate holes, e.g. conical or threaded
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/8057 the interlocking form comprising a thread
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/8085 with pliable or malleable elements or having a mesh-like structure, e.g. small strips A61B17/8071, A61B17/8076 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/88 Osteosynthesis instruments; Methods or means for implanting or extracting internal or external fixation devices A61B17/7074 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49778 with aligning, guiding, or instruction

Abstract

A modular bone plating system in one embodiment is a bone plate kit including a plurality of bone plates, each of the plurality of bone plates including a male coupling portion, a female coupling portion and a shaft extending between the male coupling portion and the female coupling portion, wherein each of the male coupling portions of each of the plurality of bone plates is configured to couple with each of the female coupling portions of each of the other of the plurality of bone plates

Claims

1. A modular bone plate comprising:

a male snap-fit coupling portion;

a female snap-fit coupling portion; and

a shaft extending between the male coupling portion and the female coupling portion, the shaft including a bottom bone contacting surface and an upper surface opposite the bone contacting surface.

2. The modular bone plate of claim 1, wherein:

the male snap-fit coupling portion includes a taper; and

the female snap-fit coupling portion includes a first bore, the first bore having a diameter that is smaller than the outer diameter of the taper.

3. The modular bone plate of claim 2, wherein:

the male snap-fit coupling portion includes a ridge extending outwardly from the taper; and

the female snap-fit coupling portion includes a groove within the first bore, the groove configured to receive the ridge.

4. The modular bone plate of claim 2, further comprising:

a plateau positioned at a first end portion of the modular bone plate; and

an overhang positioned at a second end portion of the modular bone plate, wherein the taper extends upwardly from the plateau and the first bore extends between the overhang and the upper surface.

5. The bone plate module of claim 4, wherein:

the bottom of the overhang is at a first distance above the axis of the bone contacting surface; and

the upper surface of the plateau is at a distance above axis of the bone contacting surface that is substantially the same as the first distance.

6. The bone plate module of claim 5, wherein:

the first end portion has a curved outer perimeter;

the second end portion has a curved outer perimeter;

the shaft has a first inwardly curved wall extending downwardly from the upper surface at the first end portion and a second inwardly curved wall at the second end portion extending upwardly from the bone contacting surface;

the curved outer perimeter of the first end portion is complementary to the second inwardly curved wall; and

the curved outer perimeter of the second end portion is complementary to the first inwardly curved wall.

7. The bone plate module of claim 1, wherein the male coupling portion comprises a second bore configured to receive a bone fastener within the taper and extending to the bone contacting surface.

8. The bone plate module of claim 7, wherein at least a portion of the second bore is threaded.

9. A bone plate kit comprising:

a first plurality of bone plate modules, each of the first plurality of bone plate modules including a male coupling portion, a female coupling portion and a shaft extending between the male coupling portion and the female coupling portion, wherein

each of the male coupling portions of each of the first plurality of bone plate modules is configured to rigidly couple with each of the female coupling portions of each of the other of the first plurality of bone plate modules.

10. The bone plate kit of claim 9, wherein each of the first plurality of bone plate modules further includes an overhang located below the female coupling portion, the kit further comprising:

a plurality of male end caps, each of the plurality of male end caps including a plateau configured for positioning adjacent to the overhang and a male coupling portion configured to rigidly couple with the female coupling portion of each of the plurality of bone plate modules.

11. The bone plate kit of claim 10, wherein the male coupling portion of each of the plurality of male end caps includes a taper extending upwardly from the plateau.

12. The bone plate kit of claim 11, wherein each of the first plurality of bone plate modules further includes a plateau adjacent to the male coupling portion, the kit further comprising:

a plurality of female end caps, each of the plurality of female end caps including a lower surface configured for positioning adjacent to the plateau and a female coupling portion configured to rigidly couple with the male coupling portion of each of the plurality of bone plate modules.

13. The bone plate kit of claim 12, wherein:

the male coupling portion of each of the plurality of bone plate modules includes a ridge extending outwardly from the taper; and

the female coupling portion of each of the plurality of bone plate modules includes a bore with an inner groove configured to receive the ridge.

14. The bone plate kit of claim 9, wherein:

each of the first plurality of bone plate modules includes a bone contacting surface and an upper surface opposite to the bone contacting surface, a first end portion and a second end portion;

the first end portion has a curved outer perimeter;

the second end portion has a curved outer perimeter;

the shaft has a first inwardly curved wall extending downwardly from the upper surface at the first end portion and a second inwardly curved wall at the second end portion extending upwardly from the bone contacting surface;

the curved outer perimeter of the first end portion is complementary to the second inwardly curved wall; and

the curved outer perimeter of the second end portion is complementary to the first inwardly curved wall.

15. The kit of claim 9, wherein one of the first plurality of bone plate modules is a “

Y”

shaped bone plate module, an “

S”

shaped bone plate module, a “

T”

shaped bone plate module, a curved bone plate module or a cross shaped bone plate module.

16. The kit of claim 9, further comprising a second plurality of bone plate modules, each of the second plurality of bone plate modules including at least one of:

a male coupling portion configured to rigidly couple with each of the female coupling portions of the first plurality of bone plate modules;

or

a female coupling portion, configured to rigidly couple with each of the male coupling portions of the first plurality of bone plate modules.

17. The kit of claim 16, wherein each of the second plurality of bone plate modules includes at least two of:

a male coupling portion configured to rigidly couple with each of the female coupling portions of the first plurality of bone plate modules;

or

a female coupling portion, configured to rigidly couple with each of the male coupling portions of the first plurality of bone plate modules.

18. A method of constructing a bone plate comprising:

aligning a first male coupling portion of a first bone plate module with a first female coupling portion of a second bone plate module;

compressing a first taper of the first male coupling portion;

inserting the compressed first taper into the first female coupling portion;

rigidly coupling the first bone plate module with the second bone plate module;

placing the rigidly coupled first bone plate module and second bone plate module on the surface of a bone;

inserting a portion of a first fastener through a second male coupling portion on the second bone plate module; and

attaching the rigidly coupled first bone plate module and second bone plate module to the surface of the bone with the first fastener.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

determining the desired angular alignment of the first bone plate module and the second bone plate module;

placing the first bone plate module at the desired angular alignment with respect to the second bone plate module; and

maintaining the first bone plate module at the desired angular alignment with the second bone plate module while rigidly coupling the first bone plate module with the second bone plate module.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

locking the first fastener to the second male coupling portion by engaging a threaded portion of the second male coupling portion with a threaded portion of the first fastener.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

inserting a ridge of the first male coupling portion into a groove of the first female coupling portion.

22. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

aligning a third male coupling portion of a third bone plate module with a second female coupling portion of the first bone plate module;

compressing a second taper of the third male coupling portion;

inserting the compressed second taper into the second female coupling portion;

rigidly coupling the first bone plate module with the third bone plate module;

placing the rigidly coupled first bone plate module and third plate module on the surface of the bone;

inserting a portion of a second fastener through a third female coupling portion on the third bone plate; and

attaching the rigidly coupled first bone plate module and third plate module to the surface of the bone with the second fastener.

23. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

aligning a fourth male coupling portion of a bone plate end cap with a second female coupling portion of the first bone plate module;

compressing a third taper of the fourth male coupling portion;

inserting the compressed third taper into the second female coupling portion; and

rigidly coupling the first bone plate module with the bone plate end cap.