Patent ID: 8137400
Filing Date: 2012-03-20
Classification: A61B,A61F

Abstract:
1. An anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction method performed using a tendon graft comprised of first and second bone plugs each attached to a respective end of a tendon, each of the first and second bone plugs being made of a piece of bone, and each of the first and second bone plugs having an attached pulling member, the method comprising: forming a femur-side bone tunnel in a femur and a tibia-side bone tunnel in a tibia, the tibia-side bone tunnel possessing an opening which opens to outside the tibia; disposing the first bone plugs inside the tibia-side bone tunnel and the second bone plug inside the femur-side bone tunnel; striking a fixing member while the fixing member is positioned so that a main body of the fixing member crosses the opening of the tibia-side tunnel, the fixing member also having a through-hole passing through the main body and two spike parts extending away from the main body part and spaced apart from one another by a distance greater than a diameter of the opening of the tibia-side bone tunnel, the striking of the fixing member causing the spike parts to penetrate the tibia; inserting a guide pin through the through-hole of the fixing member so the guide pin extends towards the first bone plug in the tibia-side bone tunnel, the guide pin being inserted through the through-hole after the spike parts penetrate the tibia as a result of the striking of the fixing member; moving a fixing screw toward the first bone plug in the tibia-side bone tunnel, the fixing screw having a shaft part with a self-tap portion and a male screw portion, the fixing screw also having a head part at a rear end of the shaft part and a lumen extending from a rear end of the head part to a front end of the shaft part, the moving of the fixing screw toward the first bone plug in the tibia-side bone tunnel including moving the fixing screw while the guide pin is in the lumen of the fixing screw so that the fixing screw is guided by the guide pin toward the first bone plug in the tibia-side bone tunnel, the moving of the fixing screw toward the first bone plug in the tibia-side bone tunnel also including moving the fixing screw so that the fixing screw passes through the through-hole of the fixing member and the front end of the shaft part of the fixing screw contacts the first bone plug in the tibia-side bone tunnel, the moving of the fixing screw occurring after the inserting of the guide pin; screwing the fixing screw into the piece of bone forming the first bone plug in the tibia-side bone tunnel; pulling the pulling member mounted on the first bone plug and measuring a pulling-caused tensile force applied to the pulling member mounted on the first bone plug; progressing screwing of the fixing screw into the piece of bone forming the first bone plug in the tibia-side bone tunnel to move the head part of the fixing screw into contact with the fixing member; and adjusting the tensile force applied to the pulling member mounted on said first bone plug by progressing screwing of the fixing screw into the piece of bone forming the first bone plug until the tensile force applied to the pulling member mounted on said first bone plug attains a predetermined value after the head part of the fixing screw contacts the fixing member.