Plate for covering a drill hole in a skull cap and for fixing a cranial bone cover

• US 5,201,737 A
• Filed: 03/30/1992
• Issued: 04/13/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/1991
• Status: Expired

• Current Assignee: Stryker Leibinger GmbH & Co. KG (Stryker Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oswald Leibinger GmbH
• Inventors: Leibinger, Franz, Leibinger, Karl
• Primary Examiner(s): Hafer, Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): BROWN, MICHAEL A
• Application Number:
  US07/859,656
• Time in Patent Office: 379 Days
• Field of Search: 606/69, 606/70, 606/71, 606/56, 606/96, 606/97, 606/98, 606/101, 606/102, 606/104, 411/457, 411/461, 411/469, 446/107, 446/126
• US Class Current: 606/284
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/688 for reattaching pieces of the skull
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/8061 specially adapted for particular bones A61B17/70 and A61B17/74 take precedence
• 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: A61F 2/2846 Support means for bone substitute or for bone graft implants, e.g. membranes or plates for covering bone defects nets or sleeves applied to surface of endoprostheses A61F2/30907; bone plates A61B17/80; bone regeneration in dental surgery A61C8/0006
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/2875 Skull or cranium A61F2/2803 and A61F2/3099 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30149 pentagonal
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30578 having apertures, e.g. for receiving fixation screws
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30594 slotted, e.g. radial or meridian slot ending in a polar aperture, non-polar slots, horizontal or arcuate slots
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30785 parallel
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/0017 Angular shapes
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2310/00023 Titanium or titanium-based alloys, e.g. Ti-Ni alloys
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2310/00095 Niobium or Nb-based alloys
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 606/903 Cranial and facial plate

Abstract

A plate for covering a drill hole in a skull cap and for fixing a cranial bone cover comprises a plurality of vanes (16a-16e) extending radially with respect to a center (12) and slots (20a-20e) between the vanes. For receiving bone screws holes (18a-18e) are provided in the respective region of the outer periphery of the vanes.

Claims

1. A cranial implant for fixation to the cranial vault of a bone cover, previously removed by a procedure including drilling of at least one hole at an edge of the bone cover, and for covering the drill hole, said implant comprising:

a plate formed of a body-compatible metal which is rotational-symmetrical with respect to a center and has a plurality of vanes which extend radially with respect to said center and are separated from each other by slots for providing visibility of at least some of the skull area beneath a plate being implanted, at least some of said vanes each having a hole at its outer peripheral portion for receiving a bone screw, with plate being adapted for centering over a drill hole during implentation whereby the holes in said vanes are so positioned relative to the drill hole that bone screws received through the holes are adapted to screw the plate to bone surrounding the drill hole and thereby fix the bone cover to the cranial vault, wherein said plate has a central hole formed therein concentric with the center of said plate, and said plate has a plurality of hole therethrough, distributed around said central hole, for allowing blood and other fluids to flow through the plate following fixation of the cranial bone cover.

2. A cranial implant according to claim 1, wherein the holes in said at least some vanes for receiving respective bone screws are arranged on a circle centered at said center of said plate.

3. A cranial implant according to claim 2, wherein each hole for receiving a respective bone screw is located centrally on the outer peripheral portion of a respective vane.

4. A cranial implant according to claim 3, wherein each of said vanes has an integral ring formed centrally on the outer peripheral portion thereof having a centrally located hole formed therein for receiving a respective bone screw.

5. A cranial implant according to claim 2, wherein each of said vanes has a ring formed at the outer peripheral portion thereof having a central located hole formed therein for receiving a respective bone screw.

6. A cranial implant according to claim 5, wherein the slots separating said vanes from each other extend radially with respect to the center of said plate over substantially the outer half of the radius of said plate.

7. A cranial implant according to claim 6, wherein said plate has a central hole formed therein concentric with the center of said plate.

8. A cranial implant according to claim 7, wherein said plate has a plurality of holes therethrough, distributed around said central hole, for allowing blood and other fluids to flow through the plate following fixation of the cranial bone cover.

9. A cranial implant according to claim 1, wherein each of said vanes has a ring formed at the outer peripheral portion thereof having a hole formed therein for receiving a respective bone screw.

10. A cranial implant according to claim 1, wherein the slots separating said vanes from each other extend radially with respect to the center of said plate.

11. A cranial implant according to claim 10, wherein the slots separating said vanes extend radially over substantially the outer half of the radius of said plate.

12. A cranial implant according to claim 11, wherein said slots are conical tapered radially inwardly, being widest at their outer extremity.

13. A cranial implant according to claim 11, wherein said slots are conically tapered radially inwardly, being widest at their outer extremity.

14. A cranial implant according to claim 1, wherein said plate has an odd number of vanes.

15. A cranial implant according to claim 1, wherein said plate has five vanes rotational-symmetrical with respect to the center of said plate.

16. A cranial implant according to claim 1, wherein said plate is normally flat but is permanently deformable to the contour of the skull.

17. A cranial implant according to claim 1, wherein said plate is shaped during manufacture to have a concavely curved bottom surface.