Button and continuous loop for fixation of ligaments

A technique and reconstruction system for ligament repair employing a continuous loop/button construct. The button has an oblong configuration and is provided with at least one inside eyelet that allows the passage of the continuous loop, preferably a suture loop. The continuous loop/button construct of the present invention may be used for fixation of bone to bone, or of soft tissue to bone.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of surgery and, more particularly, to a button and continuous loop for fixation of ligaments in reconstructive surgeries.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Reconstructive surgeries, particularly anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction, are well-known in the art. Methods of ACL reconstruction using interference screw fixation are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,211,647 and 5,320,626. In general, these methods of tenodesis involve drilling a tunnel through the tibia, drilling a closed tunnel (socket) into the femur, inserting a substitute ACL graft into the tunnels, and securing the grafts to the walls of the tibial and femoral tunnels using interference screws or the like.

The device and method of ligament reconstruction of the present invention provide an alternative fixation technique that does not require the use of interference screws, but instead employs a button with a continuous suture loop for improved fixation.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a technique and reconstruction system for ligament repair. The system of the present invention comprises a continuous loop/button construct used for fixation of bone to bone, or of soft tissue to bone. The button has an oblong configuration and is provided with at least one inside eyelet that allows the passage of the continuous loop, preferably a suture loop. The continuous loop/button construct of the present invention may be used for fixation of bone to bone, or of soft tissue to bone.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a technique and reconstruction system for ligament or tendon repair. The system of the present invention comprises a continuous loop/button construct used for fixation of bone to bone, or of soft tissue to bone. The button has an oblong configuration and is provided with an inside eyelet that allows the passage of the continuous loop, preferably a suture loop. The button may be formed, for example, of titanium, PEEK, PLLA or polyethylene. The suture may be a single high strength suture such as FiberWire® suture, sold by Arthrex, Inc. of Naples, Fla., or may be formed of a plurality of suture strands configured to separate from a single strand to a plurality of strands in the continuous loop. The continuous loop/button construct of the present invention may be used for fixation of bone to bone, or of soft tissue to bone.

Referring now to the drawings, where like elements are designated by like reference numerals,FIGS. 1-3andFIG. 13illustrate various embodiments of a continuous loop/button construct100,200of the present invention provided with a button10,110,210,310preferably of titanium or titanium alloy, or of polyethylene, and a continuous loop30,230preferably of FiberWire® which is attached to the button. In an exemplary embodiment only, the button10,110,210,310is formed of polyethylene, and the continuous loop30,230is formed of FiberWire®. In another exemplary embodiment, the button10,110,210,310is formed of titanium or titanium alloy, and the continuous loop30,230is formed of FiberWire®.

As shown in the drawings, the button of the present invention preferably has a body50,150,250,350with an exemplary oblong configuration and a width that is preferably less than about 1 mm narrower than the width of the drill hole through which the button is inserted and subsequently passed through. The button is provided with at least one inside opening or eyelet20,120(preferably two inside eyelets or openings) that allows the passage of the continuous loop. In the embodiments shown inFIGS. 1,2and3(a)-(c), the button is provided with two eyelets or openings20,120that have a specific configuration to allow the passage of continuous loop30,230(preferably a suture loop). The eyelets may be circular, oblong, elliptical, or may have any other configuration, as desired. For example,FIG. 3(e) illustrates an exemplary configuration for at least one of the two eyelets120of button110ofFIG. 3(a).FIG. 3(f) illustrates an additional configuration for single eyelet320of button310.

Preferably, body50,150,250,350of the button of the present invention has a length of about 10 mm to about 20 mm, more preferably of about 12 mm to about 15 mm, and a width that is less than about 1 mm narrower than the width of the drill hole through which the button is inserted and subsequently passed through. Preferably, button10is very small, having a width that allows it to pass through a 3 mm cortical pin hole without over drilling, which in turn saves time and preserves bone.

As shown inFIGS. 2 and 13, the button is provided with at least an inside eyelet20that allows the passage of continuous loop30,230(preferably a suture loop). In an exemplary embodiment, the suture loop may be a single high strength suture such as FiberWire® suture, sold by Arthrex, Inc. of Naples, Fla., and described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,716,234, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein. FiberWire suture is formed of an advanced, high-strength fiber material, namely ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE), sold under the tradenames Spectra (Honeywell) and Dyneema (DSM), braided with at least one other fiber, natural or synthetic, to form lengths of suture material. The FiberWire suture may include a core within a hollow braided construct, the core being a twisted yarn of UHMWPE. The suture may optionally include filaments of various colors.

The continuous loop may be available in various lengths and may comprise various materials such as nitinol or suture, preferably a high-strength suture material, or combinations of such materials. Preferably, the suture loop is the equivalent of about three #5 FiberWire® suture strands, with a wide atraumatic graft interface to protect the graft integrity.

In another exemplary embodiment, and as shown inFIGS. 12 and 13, the continuous loop230may be formed of a plurality of suture strands configured to separate from a single strand to a plurality of strands in a continuous loop. For example, the continuous loop230comprises a braided strand230aof suture (such as FiberWire®, for example) that is configured to trifurcate from one single strand to three strands230b, as shown inFIG. 12. In this exemplary “three strand” design, the continuous loop is configured to pass through the button component at the single strand section of the loop, as shown inFIG. 13.

In additional embodiments, the continuous loop of the present invention may include suture filaments of various colors. For example, suture loop30ofFIG. 2is a braided ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) three-strand loop of white color (30a) which may optionally include blue filaments (30b) and which may be optionally coated with a silicon elastomer, for example, prior to the formation of the loop. The loop may be formed by stitching ends of a suture strand initially inserted through the opening or eyelet20of the button, to form a stitched region of the loop which ends below the button (for example, a minimum of 8 mm below the bottom surface of the button) to reduce the assembly profile when pulled taught. The suture loop/button construct100,200of the present invention is preferably used in conjunction with passing sutures33(FIG. 2) that also pass through eyelet20.

The system of the present invention may be employed for fixation of bone to bone, or for fixation of soft tissue to bone. In an exemplary embodiment, the continuous loop/button construct100,200of the present invention is used to secure a soft tissue graft in a bone socket in a retrograde manner, for example. According to another exemplary embodiment, the continuous loop/button construct100,200of the present invention is used to secure a bone-to-bone (BTB) graft in a femoral tunnel or socket in a retrograde manner, for example. The bone socket or tunnel may be formed by a conventional (antegrade manner) or by a retrograde manner (for example, by employing a retrodrill cutter).

In these particular and only exemplary embodiments, a method of ACL reconstruction using the continuous loop/button construct100,200comprises, for example, the steps of: (i) drilling a femoral tunnel or socket in an antegrade manner, or retrograde manner (using a retrodrill cutter which is inserted in a retrograde manner through the femur); (ii) securing a graft (soft tissue graft or BTB graft) to the continuous loop/button construct100,200of the present invention; (iii) passing the graft with the button through the femoral tunnel; and (iv) securing the button to the femoral cortex once the button exits the femoral socket.

The exemplary technique of ACL reconstruction detailed above is further described below with reference toFIGS. 5-8(for soft tissue graft) and with reference toFIGS. 9 and 10(for BTB graft).

According to one embodiment of the present invention, and with reference toFIGS. 5(b)-5(e), a femoral socket82is prepared in femur66(which articulates with tibia60) by employing a retrodrill device provided with a retrodrill cutter101detachable from a retrodrill guide pin501, in the manner described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0199166, entitled “ACL Reconstruction Technique Using Retrodrill,” the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

As described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0199166, a retrodrill device for ACL reconstruction is provided with a retrodrill cutter101detachable from a retrodrill guide pin501. The retrodrill cutter101is inserted in a retrograde manner through the femur66by employing a retrodrill guide pin provided with depth markings Once the proper anatomical position in the joint for creating a femoral socket has been located, the marking hook of a drill guide is placed through the antero-medial portal and inserted in an “over-the-top” position according to an outside-in technique. The retrodrill guide pin501is then inserted into the sleeve of the drill guide and drilled through the lateral femur until contact is made with a marking hook of the drill guide. The retrodrill cutter101is then placed into the anatomical joint space68(FIG. 5(b)) through the antero-medial portal, using a strand63placed through a cannula of the retrodrill cutter101and retained using a Mulbery knot19tied in the strand. The strand in pulled in the direction of arrow “P” ofFIG. 5(b) to draw the retrodrill cutter101through the medial portal and into the joint space68. The retrodrill cutter101is positioned to be threaded onto the retrodrill guide pin501by turning and advancing the retrodrill pin501in the relative direction of arrow “F” (FIG. 5(c)) (antegrade) into the cannulation of the retrodrill cutter101. Once secured within the retrodrill cutter101, the retrodrill guide pin501is retracted in a retrograde manner until the retrodrill cutter contacts the femoral intercondylar notch67(FIG. 5(c)). The proximal end of the retrodrill guide pin is coupled to a drill. The retrodrill cutter is then rotated and retracted into the lateral femur to the proper depth D1(FIG. 5(d)) as measured on the outside of the knee by the depth markings on the retrodrill guide pin. After the femoral socket82(FIG. 5(e) is formed in this manner, the retrodrill cutter101is removed from the retrodrill guide pin501by applying a reversed drilling motion (in the direction of arrow “R” ofFIG. 5(d)) to the guide pin while grasping the cutter.

Formation of a tibial tunnel or socket by the method described above or by a conventional method may be carried out before or after the formation of the femoral socket.

Once the femoral and tibial tunnels or sockets have been completed, graft insertion and fixation may be subsequently carried out. According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and as illustrated inFIGS. 4-9, graft80which may be a soft tissue graft is folded in half over the loop30of the button10and tension is applied. A sterile marker may be employed to draw a line81on the graft, the line indicating a distance that equals the length of the femoral socket or tunnel plus about 6 mm (if using a 12 mm button) or about 8 mm (if using a 15 mm button), for example, from the looped end of the graft. This mark81will be used to indicate when the button10has exited the femoral tunnel or socket.

Subsequently, passing sutures33are pulled and graft80is passed into femoral tunnel or socket82. When the line81marked on the graft80reaches the opening of the femoral socket or tunnel82on the femoral cortex, a slight popping sensation may be felt as the button10exits and begins to flip horizontally on the femoral cortex (FIGS. 7-10). Distal traction on the graft and release of the passing sutures facilitate complete deployment of the button. The passing suture33may be removed and tibial fixation may be completed.

FIGS. 10 and 11illustrate a BTB graft90which is secured within a femoral tunnel by employing the continuous loop/button construct100of the present invention. BTB graft90is secured within the femoral tunnel in a manner similar to that described above with reference to the soft tissue graft80. The femoral tunnel is formed preferably in a retrograde manner and the continuous loop/button construct100is also preferably inserted in a retrograde manner.

Although the present invention has been described in connection with preferred embodiments, many modifications and variations will become apparent to those skilled in the art. While preferred embodiments of the invention have been described and illustrated above, it should be understood that these are exemplary of the invention and are not to be considered as limiting. Accordingly, it is not intended that the present invention be limited to the illustrated embodiments, but only by the appended claims.