Patent ID: 11964147
Assignee: MEDTRONIC, INC.
Field: Medical technology (Instruments)
Classification: CPC A | IPC A

Claim 16:
17. A method comprising:
inserting a cranial implant into a burr hole configured to retain an elongated member with respect to a cranium, the cranial implant comprising:
an arcuate interior guide portion configured to be disposed in the burr hole of the cranium, the arcuate interior guide portion comprising a distal end, a proximal end, an inner surface, and an outer surface, the distal end configured to be inserted further into the burr hole than the proximal end, and the inner surface configured to at least partially define a first channel that accepts the elongated member, wherein the outer surface is configured to extend from a first end to a second end around less than a full circumference of the burr hole thereby defining a circumferential gap between the first end and the second end, and wherein for the inner surface and the outer surface to meet at each of the first end and the second end, a distance between the inner surface and the outer surface gradually decreases; and
an exterior guide portion defining an exterior facing surface and an inward facing surface, the exterior guide portion extending from the arcuate interior guide portion and configured to contact an external surface of the cranium with the inward facing surface, the exterior guide portion comprising a first inner edge segment defining a first wall that defines a first side of a second channel, and a second inner edge segment defining a second wall that defines a second side of the second channel, wherein the second channel is configured to accept the elongated member between the first wall and the second wall, wherein the exterior guide portion comprises one or more flange structures extending from at least one of a portion of the first wall toward the second wall or a portion of the second wall toward the first wall to define at least a top side of the second channel and at least to partially enclose the second channel, and wherein each of the one or more flange structures define a top surface continuous with the exterior facing surface and a bottom surface; and wherein the bottom surface of the one or more flange structures are configured to retain the elongated member between the first wall and the second wall at least partially within the second channel; and
inserting the elongated member from an exterior of the cranium through the burr hole and to a target site within the cranium.