Connection of a bone screw to a bone plate

• US 6,595,993 B2
• Filed: 05/11/2001
• Issued: 07/22/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Zimmer GmbH (Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Sulzer Orthopedics Inc. (Centerpulse Orthopedics Incorporated)
• Inventors: Donno, Cosimo, Casutt, Simon
• Primary Examiner(s): Casler, Brian L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kontos, Lina R
• Application Number:
  US09/854,227
• Publication Number:
  US 20010047174A1
• Time in Patent Office: 802 Days
• Field of Search: 606/61, 606/69, 606/73, 606/71
• US Class Current: 606/71
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/7008 with parts of, or attached to, the longitudinal elements, bearing against an outside of the screw or hook heads, e.g. nuts on threaded rods A61B17/7007 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/7031 made wholly or partly of flexible material
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/7044 also having plates, staples or washers bearing on the vertebrae
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/7059 Cortical plates A61B17/7007, A61B17/7058 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/8042 the additional component being a cover over the screw head
• 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: Y10S 606/902 Cortical plate specifically adapted for a particular bone

Abstract

With the invention the connection of a bone screw (12) to a bone plate (7) is shown. The head (13) of the bone screw (12) lies with a ring-shaped outer surface (10) in contact on a counter-surface (25) and can be fixed with a securing screw (15) which can be screwed in in the direction towards the counter-surface (25). In this the height (16) of the bone plate (7) is chosen such that it is less than or equal to the shaft diameter (19) of the bone screw (12), whereas the screw head (13) dips into a cut-out (20) of the securing screw (15) and the upper side of the securing screw (15) terminates with the upper side of the bone plate (7).

Claims

1. A connection comprising a bone screw for screwing into a bone and a bone plate, the bone screw including a head which lies with a ring-shaped outer surface in contact on a counter-surface of the bone plate and is fixed with a securing screw which is screwed into the bone plate in the direction towards the counter-surface, the bone plate having a passage opening for a shaft of the bone screw, a height of the bone plate in a region of the bone screw being less than or equal to a diameter of the shaft, the screw head dipping into a cut-out of the securing screw, the securing screw terminating at an upper side of the bone plate, the head of the bone screw including a spherical pan with an outer surface and an inner surface having a common center, and the securing screw dipping into the pan with a suitable core.

2. Connection in accordance with claim 1 wherein the securing screw has a threaded length which dips into the bone plate and which amounts to more than half the height of the bone plate in the region of the bone screw.

3. Connection in accordance claim 1 wherein the cut-out of the securing screw is dimensioned such that the head of the bone screw can be fixed at different angular positions with respect to the axis of the securing screw.

4. Connection in accordance with claim 3 wherein in relation to a middle position of the bone screw in the direction of the axis of the securing screw the head permits a fixing position with an angular deflection α

₁ at its outer surface;

wherein the cut-out of the securing screw permits an angular deflection α

₂ of similar magnitude for the screw head; and

wherein an angle β

with respect to the center which is taken up by the counter-surface is greater than the respective angle α

₁, α

₂.

5. Connection in accordance with claim 4 wherein the angles α

₁, α

₂ correspond in each case to an angle from 3°

to 20°

.

6. Connection in accordance with claim 1 wherein the bone plate is formed as a yoke which can be used as an anchoring body for a support construction at a vertebra.

7. Connection in accordance with claim 1 wherein the bone plate can be used as a bridge between two vertebrae.

8. Connection in accordance with claim 7, comprising a bridge which bridges over the distance between two vertebrae and is formed as a bending spring.

9. Connection in accordance with claim 1 wherein the shaft diameter of the bone screw amounts to between 2 and 10 mm.

10. A connection comprising a bone screw for screwing into a bone and a bone plate, the bone plate including a passage opening surrounded by a counter outer surface, the bone screw extending through the passage opening and having a head supported by the counter-surface of the bone plate, and a securing screw placed over the bone screw and threaded into the bone plate, the securing screw including a cut-out formed to receive at least a portion of the bone screw head so that, upon tightening the securing screw, the head of the bone screw is pressed against the ring-shaped outer surface of the bone plate, the head of the bone screw having a concave, spherically shaped inner surface facing towards the securing screw and a spherically shaped outer surface which is concentric with the inner surface and in engagement with the counter-surface, the securing screw including a spherically shaped, convex core which contacts the concave inner surface of the bone screw when the securing screw is tightened into the bone plate.

11. A connection comprising a bone screw for screwing into a bone and a bone plate, the bone plate including an opening surrounded by a counter outer surface, the bone screw extending through the opening and having a head supported by the counter-surface of the bone plate, and a securing screw placed over the bone screw and threaded into the bone plate, the securing screw including a core engaging a portion of the bone screw head so that, upon tightening the securing screw, the head of the bone screw is pressed against the ring-shaped outer surface of the bone plate, the core, the head of the bone screw and the counter-surface defining cooperating and concentric concave and convex surfaces which permit an angular adjustment of the bone screw relative to the bone plate and the securing screw.