Patent ID: 8317842

Claim:
An anterolateral plate for the anterolateral surface of the distal tibia, comprising: a) a shaft twisted about its longitudinal axis and including a plurality of threaded holes and a plurality of elongate compression slots longitudinally displaced relative to said axis, each of the threaded holes and compression slots for receiving a respective bone fastener, the shaft having a proximal end tapered in width; b) a distal head that widens relative to the shaft to transition into a lateral extension extending only on one side of said shaft, the head including a proximal non-threaded hole, and a first row of four threaded holes with two of said holes located in said lateral extension; and c) a plurality of distal tabs connected to a distal end of the distal head, each of the tabs including a threaded hole and connected to the distal end of the head by a deformable bridge, the tabs including a ring portion in which the threaded hole is defined, the ring portion having a first thickness, and the distal head having a second thickness greater than the first thickness, the threaded holes in the tabs together defining a second row of threaded holes capable of receiving the same fasteners as the threaded fastener holes of the first row, the first and second rows being approximately parallel, and the threaded fasteners holes of the second row being staggered transverse to the longitudinal axis in an alternating manner with respect to the threaded holes of the first row, and the arrangement of the first and second rows is such that thread axes through the fastener holes in the second row converge in a proximal-distal direction below a bone contacting surface of the plate relative to thread axes through the fastener holes in the first row, and that such thread axes through the fastener holes of the second row pass between the thread axes of the fastener holes through the first row so as to form a load-bearing scaffold to support the articular surface of the distal tibia.