Patent ID: 8882818
Filing Date: 2014-11-11
Classification: A61B

Abstract:
1. A method for fusing a sacroiliac joint, comprising the steps of: creating a cavity in an iliac bone and a sacrum spanning said sacroiliac joint; filling said cavity with a bone void filler; exposing the sacroiliac joint with a set of dilation tubes having increasing diameters; sliding a joint locator within the lumen of a smallest diameter dilation tube until a distal end of said joint locator engages the sacroiliac joint; providing a joint locator blade at the distal end of said joint locator; aligning said joint locator blade in the sacroiliac joint; tapping a proximal end of said joint locator to reversibly secure said joint locator blade into the sacroiliac joint; removing said interior dilation tubes; abrading sacroiliac joint surfaces using said joint locator blade; sliding a cannulated reamer over said joint locator until a distal end of said reamer engages the sacroiliac joint, creating a relatively flat horizontal graft site; removing said reamer and said joint locator from within a lumen of the dilation tube; inserting a directional cannula into said dilation tube until a distal end of said directional cannula engages the sacroiliac joint; providing alignment teeth on a distal end of said directional cannula; aligning said alignment teeth in the sacroiliac joint; tapping a proximal end of said directional cannula to reversibly secure said alignment teeth into the sacroiliac joint; aligning a drill guide over said directional cannula so that a non-centered guide hole is positioned over the iliac bone; inserting said aligned drill guide into a lumen of said directional cannula until a positive stop on said directional cannula is engaged; inserting a drill bit through said non-centered drill guide hole and drilling a cavity within the iliac bone to a predetermined depth; removing said drill bit from a lumen of said drill guide; removing said drill guide from said lumen of said directional cannula; rotating said drill guide one hundred eighty degrees (180°), aligning said drill guide over said directional cannula so that said non-centered guide hole is positioned over the sacrum; inserting said aligned drill guide into said lumen of said directional cannula until said positive stop on said directional cannula is engaged; inserting said drill bit through said non-centered drill guide hole, now positioned over the sacrum, and drilling a cavity within the sacrum to a predetermined depth; removing said drill bit from the lumen of said drill guide; inserting said drill bit through a centered drill guide hole and drilling a cavity within the sacroiliac joint to a predetermined depth; removing said drill bit from said lumen of said drill guide, and removing said drill guide from said lumen of said directional cannula; inserting a stabilization implant through said lumen of said directional cannula; inserting an implant positioner into said lumen of said directional cannula until said implant positioner engages said implant, and a distal end of said implant engages said cavity; tapping a proximal end of said implant positioner until a positive stop on said directional cannula is engaged to properly seat said implant into said cavity, at a prescribed depth completely within said cavity, proportionately distributed laterally across the sacroiliac joint engaging the sacrum and the ilium; removing said implant positioner from said lumen of said directional cannula; removing said directional cannula from said sacroiliac joint; and removing said dilation tube from said soft tissue.