Medical implant with a secured bone screw
View Patent ↗A medical implant has a secured bone screw which is guided through a bore of the implant. The bore has a thread matching the thread of the bone screw. Between the head of the bone screw and the thread thereon, there is an unthreaded portion whose diameter is not greater than the free inside diameter of the threaded bore. These threads prevent axial passage of the bone screw through the bore without turning. Turning is inhibited or excluded by an arrangement preventing turning.
1. A medical implant with a secured bone screw for implantation in and engagement with a bone, comprising:
an implant body having a threaded bore formed therethrough, the threaded bore having a free inside diameter between corresponding thread tips; a bone screw having threads formed thereon configured to engage with the bone and hold the implant in engagement with the bone when the implant is implanted and having a head, the bone screw being configured to be guided through the bore; and an arrangement provided for the bone screw for preventing backward turning of the bone screw within the implant and turning of the bone screw out of the implant after the implant is in engagement with the bone,
wherein the bone screw has a threaded portion having threads that match the threaded bore and an unthreaded portion between the head and the threaded portion having an outer diameter that is not greater than the free inside diameter of the threaded bore;
wherein the bone screw has a length such that when the bone screw is fully screwed into the implant body, its tip projects beyond a surface of the implant body opposite a surface of the implant body into which the bone screw enters the threaded bore; and
wherein the unthreaded portion of the bone screw is at least as long as the threaded bore.
2. The medical implant of claim 1 , wherein the medical implant further comprises axial abutments between mutually adjoining, final turns of the bore thread and the bone screw thread.
3. The medical implant of claim 1 , wherein the arrangement for preventing backward turning of the bone screw is configured to engage the bone screw when the threaded portion of the bone screw becomes clear of the threaded bore when screwing the bone screw through the implant into the bone to bring the implant into engagement with the bone.
4. The medical implant of claim 1 , wherein the bone screw is pointed for engagement with the bone.
5. The medical implant of claim 1 , wherein the arrangement for preventing backward turning of the bone screw comprises a tongue on the face of the implant adjacent the opening of the threaded bore and corresponding projections on a shank-side face of a head of the bone screw.