Apparatus and method for stabilizing adjacent bone portions
View Patent ↗Instruments, kits, and methods are disclosed for installing an implant spacer through an incision and down a surgical corridor. The instruments also serve to align a drill guide and align and insert a spacer stabilizer for stabilization of adjacent bone portions. The instrument comprises an elongated guide bar body, an inserter face at a distal end of said guide bar body for abutting an instrument attachment portion of a spacer, a connection tip portion for securing a spacer against an inserter face, and a guide portion of said elongated guide bar body for aligning instruments with said spacer and for introducing a stabilizer to secure the spacer in a predetermined position between the bone portions. Included is a retractable graft block for securing graft material within an aperture of said spacer during insertion of the spacer.
1. An instrument for installing an implant spacer apparatus for stabilization of adjacent bone portions and aligning a spacer stabilizer comprising:
an elongated guide bar body;
an inserter face at a distal end of said guide bar body for abutting an instrument attachment portion of a spacer;
a connection tip portion extending distal to said inserter face for securing a spacer against said inserter face;
a guide portion of said elongated guide bar body for aligning a drill guide with a spacer;
and a handle portion fixed to said guide bar body having a graspable length that is angled from the central axis of said guide bar body.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said guide portion is a pair of opposing T-slots.
3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein each T-slot is configured for alignment with channels within an anchor portion of a spacer implant.
4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said guide portion extends between a proximal and distal end of said elongated guide bar body.
5. The apparatus of claim 4 further comprising a removable graft block portion for holding bone graft in a spacer attached to said inserter face during insertion of the spacer between bone portions.
6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said removable graft block is in the form of a paddle for covering a graft aperture in a spacer.
7. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said removable graft block further comprises a stop face for abutting bone or other mechanical stops.
8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said removable graft block is configured to retract proximally along said guide portion when said stop face abuts a bone portion.
9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said guide portion is configured to align a stabilizer portion of an implant with a spacer portion of an implant during insertion of said stabilizer implant portion into said spacer portion of said implant.
10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said guide portion is configured to align a portion of said stabilizer implant portion within a channel of said spacer.
11. Cooperating spacer inserter and drill guide instruments for installing a spacer implant portion between two bone portions and for boring holes in bone for occupation by a stabilizer implant portion extending from the spacer implant portion comprising:
a spacer inserter;
said spacer inserter having an elongated guide bar body;
said spacer inserter having a guide portion on said elongated guide bar body for aligning a stabilizer implant portion with a spacer implant portion during insertion of said stabilizer implant portion;
said spacer inserter having a locking shaft at least partially disposed within said guide bar body;
said locking shaft terminating at a distal end to form at least a part of a connection tip for releasable interlock with a spacer;
a rotatable spool at the proximal end of said locking shaft for locking a portion of said connection tip in an implant spacer upon rotation of said rotatable spool;
a drill guide;
said drill guide comprising a base wall;
wherein said base wall is slidingly engaged with said guide portion for guiding a bone drill to a predetermined location in a bone with respect to a spacer implant.
12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said distal end of said locking shaft is threaded for threaded engagement with a spacer.
13. The apparatus of claim 11 further comprising a handle portion extending generally perpendicular from a proximal portion of said elongated guide bar body.
14. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said guide portion comprises a pair of opposing slots.
15. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said connection tip comprises a plurality of prongs.
16. A surgical kit for installing a spacer implant between adjacent bone portions comprising:
a spacer implant portion for placement between two adjacent bone portions;
a spacer inserter for directing said spacer implant portion through an incision to a predetermined position between two adjacent bone portions;
a stabilizer implant portion for securing said spacer to a bone portion;
a stabilizer inserter for inserting said stabilizer implant portion through an incision for placement within a bone portion;
a spreader implant portion of said stabilizer implant portion for selectively changing said stabilizer implant portion from a first state to a locked state.
17. Said surgical kit of claim 16 further comprising a drill guide having a base wall extending distally from said drill guide for alignment within a channel of said spacer.
18. Said surgical kit of claim 16 further comprising a handle portion at the proximal end of said spacer inserter.
19. Said surgical kit of claim 16 further comprising a spreader insertion tool for insertion of said spreader portion in said stabilizer.
20. Said surgical kit of claim 16 wherein said stabilizer implant portion comprises a reconfigurable nose.