Abstract:
The present invention discloses a graft attachment device for cruciate ligament reconstruction comprises a body having a screw portion with a threading area on the front end of the body, a connection member disposed on the front end, a gap formed between the front end and a predetermined portion of the body adapted for a rope-type member pass through, a pivoting member pivoted on the rear end of the body with its front end, the rear end of the pivoting member having a juncture portion for fixing a ligament, thereby the device could be screwed and fixed on a bone when rotating the device, and seamed a ligament on the rear end of the device.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The present invention generally relates to medical equipment for ligament repair, and more particularly to a graft attachment device for cruciate ligament reconstruction. 
         [0003]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0004]    The method of ligament repair is positioning the patient&#39;s knee at an half-crooked angle, using a bore to bore and penetrate the femur and tibia simultaneously to form a 6 mm through hole, burying the ligament or insert member in the 6 mm through hole, and using any kinds of the graft attachment device to fix two ends of the ligament or insert member in the femur and tibia for replacing the damage cruciate ligament, so that the patient&#39;s bone and ligament or insert member are able to be healed gradually to recover the original functions of the knee with rehabilitation after surgery. However, the types of the known graft attachment device for fixing the ligament or insert member in the femur and tibia are of many different kinds, which the common seen is endo-button disclosed as U.S. Pat. No. 6,099,568 (ACL graft fixation device and method). The U.S. Pat. No. 6,099,568 is disclosed that the two ends of ligament or insert member wanted to be grafted are connected an endo-button respectively by using surgical suture. When the endo-button passes through in the pre-bored through hole of femur and tibia, the endo-button is using its side of smaller lateral cross-sectional area to pass through in the through hole, and then to turn over the endo-button after passing through out the openings of two ends of femur and tibia, so that the side of endo-button&#39;s largest cross-sectional area is locked at the openings of two ends of femur and tibia for fixing the ligament or insert member in femur and tibia. The endo-button is able to reduce wounds resulting from surgery, and by turning over the endo-button is able to fix the ligament or insert member in femur and tibia. But, two sides of the ligament or insert member connect the endo-button by elastic fiber cord or surgical suture. For having turn-over space after the endo-button passes through out the through hole, the endo-button must be pulled to tense the ligament or insert member to turn over, and then released, so that the endo-button elastically presses and closely combines at the opening of the through hole. The action mentioned as above could not make the ligament or insert member be tensed and fixed entirely in the bone, and rested a small depletion space at the part of the elastic fiber cord or surgical suture in the through hole connected with the ligament or insert member, so that the space could make the bone and ligament be healed more slowly. Moreover, when touching patient&#39;s skin after surgery, patient would have alien feeling. 
         [0005]    There is another method for using interference screw to fix ligament or insert member disclosed as U.S. Pat. No. 6,589,245. This method is not able to rest more over depletion space compared to the endo-button mentioned as above, the surgical wound is small, and the patient is not able to have alien feeling after surgery. Furthermore, the interference screw is using inner fixing method, so as to make sure to pull tightly and position the ligament or insert member. However, since the method for fixing the ligament or insert member by interference screw is using the interference screw to oppress the ligament or insert member in the inner wall of the through hole of the bone and the portion of the ligament or insert member contacted the bone only has a surface, the ligament or insert member is made to be flat, so as to produce a gap after the interference screw is assimilated by human body and be not sure if the bone is able to grow into the gap and combine with the ligament or insert member entirely. And the structure and process of the tools for positioning and releasing the interference screw are complicated, so as to make the surgery process un-convenient, and the graft attachment device interfere the tools each other. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    It is an objective of the present invention to provide a graft attachment device for cruciate ligament reconstruction which has the advantages of convenient surgery operation and preventing the graft attachment device form twisting. 
         [0007]    To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides a graft attachment device for cruciate ligament reconstruction, comprising a body, having a screw portion disposed at an outer edge of the body and the screw portion having a threading area corresponding to a front end of the body; a connection member, fixed at the front end of the body, and a gap between the connection member and a corresponding portion of the body providing one rope-type member pass through; and a pivoting member, having a front end rotatably pivoted at a rear end of the body, and a connection portion disposed at a rear end of the pivoting member for installing a ligament thereon. 
         [0008]    After the graft attachment device is inserted into the bones, operators can rotate the front end of the graft attachment device by an adaptive tool and the front end can be locked in the bone from inside to outside while the front end does not interfere the ligament connected at the rear end of the graft attachment device, so as to achieve the advantages of surgical wounds miniaturization and preventing the ligament form twisting and the tools from interfering with the graft attachment device while operating. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]    All the objects, advantages, and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed descriptions when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
           [0010]      FIG. 1  shows a schematic diagram of an embodiment in accordance with the invention; 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  shows a sectional drawing of the body of the embodiment in accordance with the invention; 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  shows a sectional drawing of the graft attachment device of the embodiment in accordance with the invention; 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  shows an isometric drawing of the connecting rod of the embodiment in accordance with the invention; 
           [0014]      FIG. 5  shows an enlarged drawing of the distal end of the connecting rod of the embodiment in accordance with the invention; 
           [0015]      FIG. 6  shows an enlarged drawing of the clamped portion of the connecting rod of the embodiment in accordance with the invention; 
           [0016]      FIG. 7  shows a sectional drawing of the handle of the embodiment in accordance with the invention; and 
           [0017]      FIG. 8  shows a schematic diagram of the embodiment when operating in accordance with the invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0018]    Please refer to corresponding drawings. The invention is disclosed a graft attachment device for cruciate ligament reconstruction, including a body  20 , and a connection member  30  and a pivoting member  40  disposed at the front end and the rear end of the body  20  respectively. The graft attachment device can cooperate with a connecting rod  50  and a handle  60  when operating. 
         [0019]    The body  20  with predetermined length is hollow, shown as  FIGS. 2 and 3 , and has a screw portion  22  formed at the outer edge of the body  20  including a threading area  24  corresponding to the front end of the body  20  for screwing on a bone when the body  20  moves forward and rotates axially, and two fixing portions  26  with through hole shape disposed adjacent to the front end of the body  20  respectively and spaced apart 180 degree and penetrated the inner edge and the outer edge of the body  20 . The inner edge of the hollow rear end of the body  20  has a large diameter portion disposed adjacent to the distal end of the inner edge of the hollow rear end of the body  20 , a small diameter portion disposed adjacent to the inside of the inner edge of the hollow rear end of the body  20 , and a shoulder portion bridged therebetween. 
         [0020]    The body  20  formed a hollow shape is for the consideration of preventing from over weight and volume. For the combination with other elements and operation method described next, it is also available for two blind holes disposed at the front end and the rear end of the body  20  to accommodate the connection member  30  and pivoting member  40  therein respectively. 
         [0021]    The connection member  30 , referring to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , is rod-shaped and two ends of the connection member  30  is disposed at the front end of the body  20  and embedded in the corresponding two fixing portions  26  respectively. Since the outer diameter of the connection member  30  is smaller than the inner diameter of the hollow front end of the body  20 , a gap is formed between the outer edge of the connection member  30  and the inner wall of the body  20  for providing a rope-type member to pass through. 
         [0022]    The pivoting member  40 , referring to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , is rod with predetermined length. A stop portion  42  with a larger outer diameter is disposed at the front end of the pivoting member  40  which is stopped by the shoulder portion  28  to make the pivoting member  40  freely rotate axially but not to break away out of the body  20  after the stop portion  42  extends to inside the rear end of the body  20 . A long-shaped through hole  44  is disposed at the rear end of the pivoting member  40  for installing a ligament thereon. 
         [0023]    The diameter of the connecting rod  50  is smaller than the outer diameter of the body  20 . The connecting rod  50  of this embodiment is inserted in the body  20 . A pair of flanges are extended axially and disposed at one end of the connecting rod  50 , shown as  FIG. 5 , and a cutout  52  is defined between the two flanges and bridged on the outer edge of the connection member  30 . A clamped portion  54  is formed at the other end of the connecting rod  50  with flat hook shape, shown as  FIG. 6 . Two grooves  56  are disposed at the outer edge of the connecting rod  50  and extended axially and one end of each groove is extended out of the distal end of the two flanges respectively. A concave portion  58  is disposed at the outer edge of the connecting rod  50  and across one of the two grooves  56 . 
         [0024]    The handle  60 , shown as  FIG. 7 , for easily connected with the clamped portion  54  or released is including a shell body  61 , a first through hole  611  penetrated the shell body  61 , a second through hole  612  perpendicular to the first through hole  611  and extended inwardly from the outer edge of the shell body  61  and pass through the first through hole  611 , a sliding member  62  disposed and reciprocated in the first through hole  611 , a press button  63  connected one end of the sliding member  62 , and a spring  64  disposed in the shell body  61  and constantly forced the press button  63  outwardly to make the press button  63  slightly protrude out of the shell body  61  via the first through hole  611 , wherein a third flat through hole  621  is disposed at the sliding portion  62  corresponding to the second through hole  612 , and a hook  622  is pre-set in the third through hole  621  corresponding to the clamped portion  54 . 
         [0025]    The graft attachment device  10  must be combined with the connecting rod  50  first and a ligament  90  must be fixed in the long-shaped through  44  of the rear end of the pivoting member  44  in advance. The cutout  52  disposed at the distal end of the connecting rod  50  is bridged on the connection member  30 , so that the connecting rod  30  is able to drive the body  20  to rotate with. And then, two ends of a rope-type member  70  (the steel wire is the best in this embodiment) are embedded at the two grooves respectively, and the distal end is fixed by a fix hole  561  pre-set on the connecting rod  50 , wherein the middle portion pass through the gap between the connection member  30  and the body  20  and gone round the outer edge of the connection member  30 , so that the connecting rod  30  is able to drive the body  20  to reciprocate with. 
         [0026]    The operation method is boring a step hole from tibia to femur  80  in advance and making the inner diameter of the distal end  801  of the through disposed above the femur  80  smaller than the outer diameter of other portions and the body  20 , shown as  FIG. 1 , and making the clamped portion  50  of the connecting rod  50  insert in tibia and out of femur with assembled body  20  and connecting rod  50  but the body  20  connected at the distal end be not able to pass through the distal end of the through hole  801 . The operator is able to rotate the connecting rod  50  right away and screw therein by the threading area  24  disposed at the front end of the screw portion  22  when keeping inserting deeply in femur. After the depth which the body  20  is screwed in femur  80  is conformed to requirement by observation, the operator is able to cut the rope-type member  70  at the concave portion  58  by wire nippers, and then remove the connecting rod  50  and leave the graft attachment  10  in femur. 
         [0027]    The handle  60  is for easily pulling and rotating the connecting rod  50  by operator, and the distal end (the portion is shown in  FIG. 6 ) is inserted in the second through hole  612  and the third through hole  621  and locked by the hook  622  with hook shape after the clamped portion  54  pass out of femur. So that the operator pulls and rotates the connecting rod  50  by forcing outwardly and the femur  80  corresponding to the distal end  801  of the through hole is threaded and screwed therein by the graft attachment device  10 . When the graft attachment device  10  is positioned, shown as  FIG. 8 , the operator is able to release the connecting rod  50  by pushing the press button  63 . 
         [0028]    By the above mentioned elements&#39; cooperation of this invention, the connecting rod  50  for driving the graft attachment device  10  to thread and fix is connecting at the front end, and the ligament for accepting the construction is disposed at the rear end which do not interfere each other. Since the ligament  90  is freely pivoted at the rear end of the graft attachment device  10 , the ligament  90  do not rotate with the connecting rod  50  to become twist in operation process, so as to prevent from damaging. 
         [0029]    Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is not used to limit the invention. It is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.