External fixation device

Abstract

The present invention relates to an external fixation device for preventing pressure from being applied to newly implanted meniscus until the implanted meniscus becomes stable when the meniscus is implanted between the femur and the tibia, and, specifically, comprises: a femur-side fixing part provided in the thigh of a patient; a tibia-side fixing part provided in the calf of the person; a connection part (30) for connecting the femur-side fixing part and the tibia-side fixing part; and a rotation part (40), which rotates the connection part (30) with respect to the femur-side fixing part (10) so that the tibia (T) rotates with respect to the femur (F) of the patient, and thus, even if a slight deviation occurs at the provision points of the femur-side fixing part and the tibia-side fixing part, the tibia can be softly and smoothly rotated with respect to the femur.

Description

external fixation device

[0001] The present invention relates to an external fixation device, and more particularly, to an external fixation device used when cartilage is transplanted between the femur and the tibia until the transplanted cartilage becomes stable.

[0002]

[0003] The meniscus is a structure located between the articular surfaces of the femur and tibia that plays a very important role in maintaining the function of the knee joint. It distributes the load and stress of the knee joint, absorbs shock, lubricates the articular cartilage, and absorbs external shock to protect the articular cartilage.

[0004] These menisci are formed by crescent-shaped cartilages located in the middle of the knee joint, and the meniscus acts as a cushion between the joints. When standing, walking, or running, when body weight is transferred from top to bottom, it absorbs shock to prevent damage to the joint cartilage.

[0005] However, the meniscus often ruptures due to excessive exercise or the progression of degenerative arthritis. If the rupture is severe enough to prevent it from functioning properly, the ruptured meniscus is removed and donated meniscus tissue is transplanted in its place.

[0006] The meniscus transplanted in this way must be protected and stable without pressure for a considerable period of time (approximately 8 weeks after the transplant surgery). To achieve this, an external fixation device is attached to the femur and tibia so that the rotational movement of the tibia relative to the femur is not impeded, while pressure is not applied to the cartilage.

[0007] However, the conventional external fixation device used for this purpose has a configuration in which a first frame (10) connected to the femur side and a second frame (20) connected to the tibia side are overlapped at a connecting hole (15, 25) and then tightened with a bolt (35) and a nut (36) to rotate around a single point (i.e., the connecting hole), as shown in the prior art (registered patent 10-1110075).

[0008] Since the conventional external fixation device is designed so that the first frame (10) on the femur side and the second frame (20) on the tibia side meet at one point and rotate around that point, when installing the screw (42) in the femur and tibia respectively, it must be installed at the exact point without deviation so that the center of rotation (i.e., the point where the connecting hole is formed) matches exactly so that no pressure is applied to the cartilage even when the tibia rotates. Therefore, it is very important to install the screw in the exact point in the femur and tibia, and surgeons must pay considerable attention to installing the screw.

[0009]

[0010] The present invention has been devised to solve the problems of the above-mentioned prior art, and its purpose is to provide an external fixation device that prevents pressure from being applied to the newly transplanted cartilage (meniscus cartilage) when transplanting it between the femur and the tibia until the newly transplanted cartilage becomes stable.

[0011] In addition, the purpose is to provide an external fixation device that can smoothly and smoothly rotate the tibia relative to the femur even when the installation points of the fixation pins inserted into the femur and tibia deviate slightly from the exact installation points when installing the external fixation device.

[0012]

[0013] In order to solve the above-described problem, the external fixation device according to the present invention comprises: a femoral fixation part comprising a fixation pin having an end inserted into the femur, a femoral rod disposed on the outer side of the thigh, and a pin-rod clamp movably installed on the femoral rod and having the fixation pin installed; a tibial fixation part comprising a fixation pin having an end inserted into the tibia, a tibial rod disposed on the outer side of the calf, and a pin-rod clamp movably installed on the tibial rod and having the fixation pin installed; a connecting part comprising: a first connecting rod installed on the opposite side of the tibial rod with the calf as the center; a second connecting rod connecting the first connecting rod and the tibial rod; a first rod-rod clamp movably installed on the first connecting rod and having one end of the second connecting rod installed; and a second rod-rod clamp movably installed on the tibial rod and having the other end of the second connecting rod installed; A rotational member is composed of a first connecting piece installed on the femur rod, a second connecting piece installed on the first connecting rod, a first link having one end rotatably connected to the upper side of the first connecting piece and the other end rotatably connected to the lower side of the second connecting piece, and a second link installed on the opposite side of the first link with the first connecting piece and the second connecting piece as the center, having one end rotatably connected to the lower side of the first connecting piece and the other end rotatably connected to the upper side of the second connecting piece, and being arranged in an X shape with the first link; and when the femur and the tibia face each other in a straight line and are spaced apart from each other by a certain distance, the first connecting piece and the second connecting piece are in straight line contact.

[0014] Here, a first protrusion and a second protrusion are respectively provided on the upper side of the facing edges of the first connecting piece and the second connecting piece, and when the first protrusion and the second protrusion are in contact with each other, the femur and the tibia face each other in a straight line and are spaced apart by a certain distance.

[0015] And, the femur and tibia remain continuously spaced apart until the angle between the femur and tibia changes from 180 degrees to 90 degrees, and the first projection and the second projection continue to be spaced apart from the time the angle between the femur and tibia begins to change.

[0016]

[0017] The external fixation device of the present invention configured as described above rotates by the first link and the second link in which the femoral fixation part and the tibial fixation part are connected in an X shape, so that even if the installation points of the fixation pins for the femur and tibia deviate slightly from the exact installation points, the width of the X shape by the first link and the second link expands and contracts to offset the deviation, thereby helping to smoothly and smoothly rotate the tibia with respect to the femur. Accordingly, even if the installation point of the fixation pin deviates slightly, it does not affect the rotation of the tibia at all, so there is an advantage in that the burden on the accuracy of the fixation pin installation point can be reduced.

[0018]

[0019] Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing an external fixation device according to the present invention.

[0020] Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the external fixation device illustrated in Figure 1.

[0021] Figure 3 is a diagram showing the external fixation device when the femur and tibia are in a straight line.

[0022] Figure 4 is a diagram showing the external fixation device when the tibia is bent vertically relative to the femur.

[0023]

[0024] An external fixation device according to the present invention comprises: a femoral fixation part comprising a fixation pin having an end inserted into the femur, a femoral rod disposed on the outer side of the thigh, and a pin-rod clamp movably installed on the femoral rod and having the fixation pin installed therein; a tibial fixation part comprising a fixation pin having an end inserted into the tibia, a tibial rod disposed on the outer side of the calf, and a pin-rod clamp movably installed on the tibial rod and having the fixation pin installed therein; a connecting part comprising a first connecting rod installed on the opposite side of the tibial rod with the calf as the center, a second connecting rod connecting the first connecting rod and the tibial rod, a first rod-rod clamp movably installed on the first connecting rod and having one end of the second connecting rod installed therein, and a second rod-rod clamp movably installed on the tibial rod and having the other end of the second connecting rod installed therein; A rotational member is composed of a first connecting piece installed on the femur rod, a second connecting piece installed on the first connecting rod, a first link having one end rotatably connected to the upper side of the first connecting piece and the other end rotatably connected to the lower side of the second connecting piece, and a second link installed on the opposite side of the first link with the first connecting piece and the second connecting piece as the center, having one end rotatably connected to the lower side of the first connecting piece and the other end rotatably connected to the upper side of the second connecting piece, and being arranged in an X shape with the first link; and when the femur and the tibia face each other in a straight line and are spaced apart from each other by a certain distance, the first connecting piece and the second connecting piece are in straight line contact.

[0025]

[0026] Hereinafter, an embodiment of an external fixation device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

[0027] Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing an external fixation device according to the present invention, and Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the external fixation device shown in Fig. 1.

[0028] And, Fig. 3 is a drawing showing the appearance of the external fixation device when the femur and tibia are in a straight line, and Fig. 4 is a drawing showing the appearance of the external fixation device when the tibia is bent vertically with respect to the femur.

[0029] The external fixation device according to the present invention is used until the transplanted cartilage (i.e., meniscus) between the femur (F) and the tibia (T) is stabilized in the case of a transplant surgery, and is composed of a femoral fixation part (10) installed on a patient's thigh, a tibial fixation part (20) installed on a person's calf, a connecting part (30) connecting the femoral fixation part (10) and the tibial fixation part (20), and a rotating part (40) that rotates the connecting part (30) with respect to the femoral fixation part (10) to rotate the tibia (T) with respect to the patient's femur (F).

[0030] The above femoral fixation part (10) is composed of a pair of fixing pins (11) spaced apart from each other by a certain distance, a femoral rod (12) placed on the outer side of the thigh, and a pair of pin-rod clamps (13) connecting the fixing pins (11) and the femoral rod (12).

[0031] The above fixed pin (11) is inserted into the femur (F) after one end thereof vertically penetrates the thigh flesh from the side.

[0032] The above femoral rod (12) is placed on the outer side of the thigh and is arranged lengthwise along the length of the thigh.

[0033] The above pin-load clamp (13) is movably installed on the femoral rod (12) and the other end of the fixed pin (11) is fixed.

[0034] The above tibial fixation part (20) is composed of a pair of fixing pins (21) spaced apart from each other by a certain distance, a tibial rod (22) placed on the outside of the calf, and a pair of pin-rod clamps (23) connecting the fixing pins (21) and the tibial rod (22).

[0035] The above-mentioned fixing pin (21) is inserted into the tibia (T) after one end thereof vertically penetrates the calf flesh from the side. This fixing pin (21) is inserted from the side toward the tibia (T), but in the opposite direction to the fixing pin (11) of the femoral fixing part (10).

[0036] The above tibial rod (22) is positioned on the outer side of the calf and is arranged lengthwise along the length of the calf. This tibial rod (22) is positioned opposite the femur rod (12) with the femur (F) and tibia (T) as the center.

[0037] The above pin-load clamp (23) is movably installed on the tibial load (22) and the other end of the fixed pin (21) is fixed.

[0038] The above connecting part (30) is composed of a first connecting rod (31) installed opposite the tibial rod (22) with the calf as the center, a second connecting rod (32) connecting the first connecting rod (31) and the tibial rod (22), a first rod-rod clamp (33) installed on the first connecting rod (31), and a second rod-rod clamp (34) installed on the tibial rod (22).

[0039] The above first connecting rod (31) is installed long in the same direction as the femur rod (12) on the lower side of the femur rod (12) and forms a straight line with the femur rod (12).

[0040] The above second connecting rod (32) intersects the first connecting rod (31) and the tibia rod (22).

[0041] The above first load-load clamp (33) is movably installed on the first connecting rod (31) and one end of the second connecting rod (32) is fixed.

[0042] The second load-load clamp (34) is movably installed on the tibial load (22) and the other end of the second connecting rod (32) is fixed.

[0043] The above-mentioned rotating part (40) is composed of a first connecting piece (41) installed on a femoral rod (12), a second connecting piece (42) installed on a first connecting rod (31), and a first link (43) and a second link (44) having ends respectively installed on both sides of the first connecting piece (41) and the second connecting piece (42).

[0044] The above first connecting piece (41) is fixed to the lower end of the femoral rod (12).

[0045] The above second connecting piece (42) is fixed to the upper end of the first connecting rod (31) and faces the first connecting piece (41).

[0046] Here, a first protrusion piece (41a) and a second protrusion piece (42a) are respectively provided on the upper side of the facing edges of the first connecting piece (41) and the second connecting piece (42). Therefore, when the first connecting piece (41) and the second connecting piece (42) are arranged in a straight line, the first protrusion piece (41a) and the second protrusion piece (42a) also face each other in a straight line.

[0047] The first link (43) is rotatably connected by having one end pin-joined to the upper side of the first connecting piece (41), and the other end pin-joined to the lower side of the second connecting piece (42).

[0048] The above second link (44) is installed on the opposite side of the first link (43) with the first connecting piece (41) and the second connecting piece (42) as the center. One end of the second link (44) is rotatably connected by being pin-coupled to the lower side of the first connecting piece (41), and the other end is rotatably connected by being pin-coupled to the upper side of the second connecting piece (42).

[0049] In this way, the first link (43) and the second link (44) are arranged in an X shape with the first connecting piece (41) and the second connecting piece (42) in between.

[0050] Looking at the state in which the external fixation device according to the present invention configured as described above is installed on the femur (F) and the tibia (T), when the femur (F) and the tibia (T) face each other and are spaced apart from each other by a certain distance, the first connecting piece (41) and the second connecting piece (42) are in contact in a straight line.

[0051] In more detail, when the femur (F) and the tibia (T) are positioned in a straight line with a certain distance between them, the first protrusion (41a) provided on the first connecting piece (41) and the second protrusion (42a) provided on the second connecting piece (42) are in contact with each other in a straight line.

[0052] In this state, that is, when the angle between the femur (F) and the tibia is 180 degrees, if the tibia (T) is bent so that the femur (F) and the tibia (T) form a 90 degree angle, the femur (F) and the tibia (T) remain continuously spaced apart during this angle change process and do not touch each other.

[0053] Since the present invention aims to not apply pressure to the newly transplanted cartilage (meniscus) when transplanting it between the femur (F) and the tibia (T) until the newly transplanted cartilage becomes stable (approximately 8 weeks after surgery), the lower end of the femur (F) and the upper end of the tibia (T) are prevented from touching during the process of the tibia (T) rotating relative to the femur (F).

[0054] As shown above, the femur (F) and the tibia (T) remain continuously spaced apart until the angle formed by the femur (F) and the tibia (T) changes from 180 degrees to 90 degrees. At this time, the first projection (41a) and the second projection (42a) remain continuously spaced apart from the time the angle between the femur (F) and the tibia (T) begins to change.

[0055] Meanwhile, when the tibia (T) rotates relative to the femur (F), the tibia-side fixing member (20) connected to the femur-side fixing member (10) through the connecting member (30) and the rotating member (40) must also rotate. At this time, the first connecting member (41) installed on the femur rod (12) and the second connecting member (42) installed on the first connecting rod (31) are connected through the first link (43) and the second link (44) that intersect in an X shape, as has already been explained.

[0056] Therefore, when the tibia (T) rotates while maintaining the separation from the femur (F), the first link (43) and the second link (44) move together while maintaining an X-shaped cross shape, although the angle they form with each other changes.

[0057] In this way, since the first link (43) and the second link (44) maintain an X-shape even if the angle between them changes slightly as they move, even if the gap between the lower end of the femur (F) and the upper end of the tibia (T) narrows or moves slightly during the rotation of the tibia (T), the first link (43) and the second link (44) can adjust the angle between them and expand and contract the X-shape to respond to this, so that the tibia-side fixing part (20) can move more smoothly and flexibly without hindering the movement of the tibia (T) at all, and as a result, the tibia (T) can also move more smoothly and flexibly.

[0058] And, since the points connecting the first connecting piece (41) and the second connecting piece (42) of the first link (43) and the second link (44) are each two points and intersect in an X shape, as described above, the width of the X shape can be slightly expanded and contracted by changing the angle between the first link (43) and the second link (44) during the rotation of the tibia (T), so even if the installation points of the fixed pins (11, 21) for the femur (F) and tibia (T) deviate slightly from the exact installation points, the influence of the deviation can be absorbed by the expansion and contraction of the X shape of the first link (43) and the second link (44), so that the femur (F) and tibia (T) can rotate while maintaining a spaced state without touching each other.

[0059]

[0060] The present invention relates to an external fixation device, and since it is used to treat patients with injuries to the knee area, it can be widely used in hospitals and the like, and can also be manufactured and used in the medical industry that supplies medical devices to hospitals and the like.

Claims

1. A femur-side fixation part (10) comprising a fixation pin (11) having an end inserted into the femur (F), a femur rod (12) positioned on the outer side of the thigh, and a pin-rod clamp (13) movably installed on the femur rod (12) and on which the fixation pin (11) is installed; A tibial fixation part (20) comprising a fixation pin (21) having an end inserted into the tibia (T), a tibial rod (22) positioned on the outside of the calf, and a pin-rod clamp (23) movably installed on the tibial rod (22) and on which the fixation pin (21) is installed; A connecting portion (30) comprising a first connecting rod (31) installed opposite the tibial rod (22) with the calf as the center, a second connecting rod (32) connecting the first connecting rod (31) and the tibial rod (22), a first rod-rod clamp (33) movably installed on the first connecting rod (31) and having one end of the second connecting rod (32) installed thereon, and a second rod-rod clamp (34) movably installed on the tibial rod (22) and having the other end of the second connecting rod (32) installed thereon; It is composed of a rotational part (40) including a first connecting piece (41) installed on the femur rod (12), a second connecting piece (42) installed on the first connecting rod (31), a first link (43) having one end rotatably connected to the upper side of the first connecting piece (41) and the other end rotatably connected to the lower side of the second connecting piece (42), and a second link (44) installed on the opposite side of the first link (43) with the first connecting piece (41) and the second connecting piece (42) as the center, and having one end rotatably connected to the lower side of the first connecting piece (41) and the other end rotatably connected to the upper side of the second connecting piece (42) and arranged in an X shape with the first link (43). An external fixation device characterized in that the first connecting piece (41) and the second connecting piece (42) are in contact with each other in a straight line when the femur (F) and the tibia (T) are spaced apart from each other at a certain distance while facing each other in a straight line.

2. In claim 1, On the upper side of the facing edges of the first connecting piece (41) and the second connecting piece (42), a first protruding piece (41a) and a second protruding piece (42a) are respectively provided. An external fixation device characterized in that when the first protrusion (41a) and the second protrusion (42a) are in contact with each other, the femur (F) and the tibia (T) face each other in a straight line and are spaced apart by a certain distance.

3. In claim 2, The femur (F) and tibia (T) remain separated until the angle between them changes from 180 degrees to 90 degrees. An external fixation device characterized in that the first protrusion (41a) and the second protrusion (42a) are continuously spaced apart from the time the angle between the femur (F) and the tibia (T) begins to change.

Images