Anterior cruciate ligament tensioning device and method for its use
First Claim
1. A soft tissue tensioning device comprising a frame;
- bone coupling means for rigidly connecting an end of said frame to a bone, adjacent to an opening of a tunnel formed therein;
a trolley means arranged for travel along said frame that includes a suture coupling means that aligns with said tunnel opening and is for receiving a suture releasably fitted thereto;
a means for moving said trolley along said frame by operation of an adjustment means; and
a biasing means for, arranged with said trolley for resisting trolley movement in a direction relative to said frame where a tension is applied through said trolley suture coupling means that is passed into a connected suture or sutures whose other end or ends is attached to a section of soft tissue maintained in said bone tunnel; and
means for indicating a tensile force as is being applied to said suture or sutures.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An anterior cruciate ligament or soft tissue tensioning and knee displacement measuring device and method for its use to apply a tensile stress into a repaired or replaced graft and to maintain tension on that graft while an interference screw, or like fastener, is turned into a tunnel section end, containing the graft or sutures connected to the graft, wedging it against the tunnel wall, and, during application of the tensile stress, for determining the distance that the knee is displaced. The invention includes a tensioning device having, as a body, a pair of straight rails with a cross member secured across the rails rear or distal ends with forward or proximal rail ends connected to mounting tubes that are for fitting into pins as have been mounted into to extend from a bone cortex, alongside the tunnel section end, and including a trolley maintained to travel between the body rails. The trolley includes a mount arranged to receive and maintain sutures that extend out from the tunnel end, with trolley movement provided by turning a connected rod turned through the cross member to impart a tensile force into the ligament graft, with the amount of the applied force measured by a slide indicator arranged with the trolley. Additionally, the invention includes the knee displacement measuring device for measuring displacement during application of a tensile stress to sutures attached to the ligament graft.
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Citations
17 Claims
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1. A soft tissue tensioning device comprising a frame;
- bone coupling means for rigidly connecting an end of said frame to a bone, adjacent to an opening of a tunnel formed therein;
a trolley means arranged for travel along said frame that includes a suture coupling means that aligns with said tunnel opening and is for receiving a suture releasably fitted thereto;
a means for moving said trolley along said frame by operation of an adjustment means; and
a biasing means for, arranged with said trolley for resisting trolley movement in a direction relative to said frame where a tension is applied through said trolley suture coupling means that is passed into a connected suture or sutures whose other end or ends is attached to a section of soft tissue maintained in said bone tunnel; and
means for indicating a tensile force as is being applied to said suture or sutures. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
- bone coupling means for rigidly connecting an end of said frame to a bone, adjacent to an opening of a tunnel formed therein;
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13. A method for applying, and maintaining tensioning on an end of a section of soft tissue whose opposite end is secured in a bone tunnel during soft tissue end mounting, including the steps of, securing an end of a section of soft tissue in a bone tunnel and securing said soft tissue opposite end to an end or ends of a suture or sutures that extend out from an end of said bone tunnel;
- securing guide means to the patient'"'"'s tibia for receiving a tensioning device mounted thereto to where a movable section of said tensioning device is opposite to said bone tunnel end;
releasably mounting said suture or sutures to said movable section of said tensioning device;
moving said movable section away from said bone tunnel end to stretch said soft tissue section;
measuring the applied stretching force; and
, with said section of soft tissue under tension, fitting a mounting device into said bone tunnel end to wedge said suture or sutures against said bone tunnel wall. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17)
- securing guide means to the patient'"'"'s tibia for receiving a tensioning device mounted thereto to where a movable section of said tensioning device is opposite to said bone tunnel end;
Specification