Patent ID: 7588579
Filing Date: 2009-09-15
Classification: A61B,A61C

Abstract:
1. Distraction apparatus for expansion of an upper jaw bone after osteotomy by application of distraction forces directly to a bone of a palate with the aim to reconstruct the jaw by increasing a distance between two opposing bone segments by means of gradually stretching, comprising: (a) a distraction module comprising: a connecting sleeve having at opposite ends internal threads of opposite direction; two telescopic arms having at proximal ends external threads of opposite direction and corresponding to the internal threads of the connecting sleeve, and each arm having a distal end located at a mutual distance from each other; wherein the distal ends of the distraction module arms are disk-shaped and have arched surfaces; the telescopic arms being threadedly connected to the connecting sleeve to allow the arms to move distally apart by rotation of the connecting sleeve; and (b) two abutment plates that are non-integrally formed with the distraction module and are adapted to be secured to the bone of the palate and having fixation means to directly fix the abutment plates to a surface of the bone of the palate, each abutment plate comprising: a bone contacting surface; extensions extending away from the bone contacting surface; a receiving sleeve formed by the extensions of each abutment plate, each receiving sleeve being shaped to rotatably and hingeably receive the disk-shaped distal ends of the distraction module arms; wherein the abutment plates are hingeably and releasably connected to the distal ends of the distraction module arms by the arm distal ends fitting into the receiving sleeves of the plates to thereby allow rotational movement between the distraction module and the abutment plates; and wherein the distal end of the distraction module arms can be removed from the receiving sleeves of the plates by rotating the connecting sleeve.