Drilling feeler, in particular for positioning and securing a medullary nail

• US 4,943,291 A
• Filed: 12/19/1988
• Issued: 07/24/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/1987
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Zimmer SA (Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Zimmer SA (Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Tanguy, Christian
• Primary Examiner(s): Hafer, Robert A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sam, Charles H.
• Application Number:
  US07/286,681
• Time in Patent Office: 582 Days
• Field of Search: 606/57, 606/59, 606/60, 606/62, 606/63, 606/64, 606/67, 606/80, 606/96, 606/98, 606/139
• US Class Current: 606/64
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/164 intramedullary

Abstract

The feeler is placed in alignment with the axis of a pin or screw inlet hole of the wall of the nail and is mounted at the distal end of a driving rotating spindle, at least partially flexible, the distal end of the spindle bearing the tool being housed in a bore of a protruding sleeve carried by a sliding block between a disengagement position allowing the sliding of the head in the nail and an engagement position, with application to feelers intended to bore, in bone surgery, a transversal hole from a medullary channel.

Claims

1. Drilling feeler, in particular for positioning and fixing a medullary nail in which, through external gripping means, is introduced into the medullary nail and is placed in alignment with the axis of an inlet pin or screw hole of the wall of this nail, a drilling tool integral with a sliding block bearing means for positioning and blocking the said nail, this tool being mounted at the distal end of a driving rotating spindle, at least partially flexible, wherein the distal end of the spindle carrying the tool is housed in a bore of a sleeve protruding from a drilling head, said head being movable around an axle carried by the block sliding between a disengagement position allowing the sliding of the said head in the nail and an engagement position in which the sleeve is engaged in the inlet pin or screw hole, the feeler furthermore comprising a blocking wedge hinged to the end of a rod connected to the gripping means, this wedge being adapted to move closer to or away from the drilling head, in order to respectively maintain it in engagement position or allow its tilting towards disengagement position.

2. Feeler according to claim 1, wherein the drilling head comprises a nose-piece turned towards the blocking wedge, this nose-piece provided with a flattened portion, perpendicular to the axis of the sleeve and adapted to enter into contact with the internal wall of the nail in engagement position of the drilling head and a slope bearing surface adapted to cooperate, for this same engagement position, with a slope face of the wedge which is recalled towards the said drilling head through the intermediary of the rod cooperating with the gripping means.

3. Feeler according to claim 1, wherein the rod hingedly connected to the wedge and the driving spindle of the drilling head are housed in two parallel tubes, at the distal end of which is fixed the sliding block, the other end of these tubes being fixed to a body integral with the gripping means, these consisting of a clip comprising a fixed part integral with the said body and a movable part about a common axis and of which an extension is hinged to the proximal end of the rod, a spring tending to spread apart the movable parts from each other and to move closer together thus the wedges of the block.

4. Feeler according to claim 1, wherein the distal end of the rod is connected to the blocking corner through the intermediary of a slide movable in a slope ramp, provided in the wedge and having an axis substantially normal to the slope face, in such a manner that a return of the wedge towards the drilling head, in contact with the slope bearing surface of this head, pushes this wedge into contact with the internal wall of the nail by consolidating the locking of the assembly.

5. Feeler according to claim 1, wherein the sliding block and the wedge present complementary cross-sections at least partially of the cross-section of the associated medullary nail.