Plating system with compression drill guide

Abstract

A drill guide, drill guide system and method of use is disclosed. The drill guide assembly includes one or more alignment drill tubes that are remotely alignable with corresponding fastener holes of a bone plate to which the drill guide is releasably lockable. The drill guide is configured to allow a bone hole to be drilled slightly off-center with respect to the fastener holes of the plate so that fasteners inserted in those holes may be used to compress the underlying bone segments together when the fasteners are tightened in the bone and plate. In one embodiment, the drill guide is disclosed for use in compressing and fixing adjacent vertebra as part of a spinal fusion procedure.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION [0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Non-Provisional patent application Ser. No. 10 / 619,472, filed Jul. 16, 2003, titled “Anterior Plating System and Drill Guides,” the entire contents of which is incorporated herein by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates to a bone fixation system including a plate and surgical drill guide that are releasably attachable to each other for providing a precise alignment therebetween. More particularly, the present invention relates to a bone plate having fastener holes oriented at predetermined angles with respect to the plate and a plate holder and surgical drill guide assembly with at least one alignment drill guiding barrel that is aligned with the respective fastener holes in a bone plate for drilling the holes at the proper angle. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] The use of surgical fixation plates for a variety of orthopedic applications is widely acce...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0032] The drill guide may further be configured so that when the plate is fixed to the first bone segment using a fastener inserted into the fixation hole at the first end of the plate, the drill guide is engageable with the plate to allow a hole to be formed in the bone underlying the fixation hole at the second end of the plate so that a fastener inserted into the hole will contact a portion of the fixation hole. Where a fastener is inserted into the bone hole, the underside surface of the fastener head portion may engage a side portion of the fixation hole before the fastener is fully seated in the fixation hole. Where the fastener head portion engages the side portion of the fastener hole, further tightening of the fastener may cause the fastener to move longitudinally along a longitudinal axis of the plate. Further tightening of the fastener may also cause the first bone segment to move relative to the second bone segment.

Problems solved by technology

The margin for error in spinal surgery is quite small, particularly because of the sensitivity of the spinal cord and the risk inherent with invasive procedures around the spinal cord.

In particular, the dimensions of vertebral bone available for setting fasteners are fairly limiting.

Any misalignment of the screw within the plate hole risks tissue damage.

In addition, improperly seated screws may result in an unstable or insecure connection of the plate to the bony material, thus potentially defeating the usefulness of the plate.

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