Granted Patent B2

US 8,034,090 · App. 11/386,071 · Granted Oct 11, 2011

Abstract

Claims (45)

1. A method for securing a graft to a bone comprising:

forming a tunnel in the bone;

positioning the graft in the tunnel;

attaching a pronged distal end of an elongated tubular anchor sleeve to a mating proximal end of an anchor;

inserting a driver through the anchor sleeve;

engaging an inner surface of a cruciate-shaped bore defined in the anchor with a shaft of the driver, the shaft of the driver having a mating cruciate shape;

applying torque and driving the anchor into the tunnel with the driver while the anchor sleeve is attached to the anchor;

securing the graft with the anchor;

removing the driver;

inserting a pre-compressed harvested bone material having a cruciate cross-section through the anchor sleeve into the bore of the anchor; and

removing the anchor sleeve after inserting the bone material into the anchor.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the harvested bone material is autograft or allograft bone.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein securing the graft in the tunnel includes engaging the anchor with a soft tissue portion of the graft.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein securing the graft in the tunnel includes engaging the anchor with a bone portion of the graft.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising delivering a biological material inserted in the bore of the anchor through apertures formed through an outer surface of the anchor.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising resorbing portions of the anchor at different rates of resorption.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

pushing the bone material through the anchor sleeve with the driver.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein forming a tunnel includes forming a tunnel in femoral bone for anterior or posterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the graft is selected from bone-tendon-bone graft, soft tissue graft, natural graft and artificial graft.

10. A method for securing a graft to a bone comprising:

forming a tunnel in the bone;

positioning at least a portion of the graft in the tunnel;

engaging a proximal end of an anchor with a distal end of an elongated tubular anchor sleeve;

sliding a driver through the anchor sleeve and engaging a cruciate-shaped shaft of the driver to a cruciate-shaped bore defined in the anchor;

applying torque to the anchor using the driver to drive the anchor into the tunnel while the proximal end of the anchor is engaged to the distal end of the anchor sleeve;

securing the graft in the tunnel with the anchor;

removing the driver;

inserting biological material in the bore of the anchor by passing the biological material through the anchor sleeve; and

removing the anchor sleeve after inserting the biological material into the anchor.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising shaping the biological material into a plug having a cruciate shape.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising pushing the plug through the anchor sleeve with the driver.

13. The method of claim 10 , further comprising sliding the anchor sleeve and the driver over a guide wire.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein the distal end of the anchor sleeve is pronged and mates to the proximal end of the anchor.

15. A method for securing a graft to a bone comprising:

forming a tunnel in the bone;

positioning a graft in the tunnel;

engaging a proximal end of an anchor with a distal end of an elongated tubular anchor sleeve;

passing a driver through the tubular anchor sleeve;

mateably engaging a shaft of a driver to a bore defined in the anchor;

applying torque to the anchor using the driver to drive the anchor into the tunnel while the proximal end of the anchor is engaged to the distal end of the anchor sleeve; and

securing the graft in the tunnel with the anchor.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising engaging a cruciate-shaped portion of the driver to a cruciate-shaped portion of the bore of the anchor.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising pushing a cruciate-shaped plug of biological material through the anchor sleeve with the driver into the bore of the anchor.

18. The method of claim 15 , wherein the distal end of the anchor sleeve is pronged and mates to the proximal end of the anchor.

Assignments (9)