Device and method for use during ligament reconstruction

1. An assembly for use during ligament reconstruction surgery, the assembly comprising:

a guide wire, the guide wire including a mark configured for aligning the guide wire with respect to a proximal end of a bone tunnel such that a first end of the guide wire is configured to extend through the bone tunnel and protrude out a distal end thereof thereby defining a protruding portion of the guide wire;

a measurement device, the measurement device including a handle and a shaft coupled to the handle, the measurement device being configured to receive and translate over the protruding portion of the guide wire until a distal end of the shaft contacts the distal end of the bone tunnel; and

an insert, separate from the guide wire, disposed within a channel of the measurement device and translatable within the channel relative to a first window of the measurement device, the insert including a first set of numbers defined thereon, the first set of numbers configured for display through the first window of the measurement device, the first set of numbers scaled to indicate a range of possible tunnel lengths of the bone tunnel;

wherein the protruding portion of the guide wire is receivable within the measurement device by insertion of the first end of the guide wire through an opening at the distal end of the shaft;

wherein the measurement device is configured so that, when the guide wire is inserted through the bone tunnel and the mark is aligned with the proximal end of the bone tunnel and when the protruding portion of the guide wire is received within the measurement device and the measurement device is translated over the protruding portion of the guide wire until the distal end of the shaft contacts the distal end of the bone tunnel, the guide wire cooperates with the measurement device to indicate a selection from the first set of numbers in the first window indicative of the tunnel length of the bone tunnel; and

wherein a distal end of the insert is configured to be contacted by the protruding portion of the guide wire when the protruding portion of the guide wire is received in the measurement device, whereby translating the measurement device over the protruding portion of the guide wire results in the insert being displaced by the guide wire and translated relative to the first window, whereby the selection from the first set of numbers indicative of the tunnel length of the bone tunnel is indicated in the first window.

2. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the distal end of the insert includes a nipple, the nipple configured to contact the first end of the guide wire when the protruding portion of the guide wire is received in the measurement device.

3. The assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a locking mechanism for locking a position of the insert within the channel.

4. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the handle includes a groove extending longitudinally along an outer surface of the handle wherein a projection extending laterally from the insert is disposed within the groove and configured to slide along a length of the groove, the projection being provided by a knob assembly, the knob assembly including a knob and a shaft extending from the knob, wherein a threaded end portion of the shaft of the knob assembly extends through the groove in the handle and is disposed within a threaded channel defined in the insert, such that rotating the knob to reduce the distance between the insert and the knob is configured to compress the knob against the handle so as to selectively enable locking the insert relative to the handle.

5. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the insert further includes a second set of numbers for display through a second window of the measurement device, the second set of numbers scaled to indicate a range of possible lengths of a closed loop suture for ligament reconstruction surgery, whereby the measurement device is configured so that the protruding portion of the guide wire, when received in the measurement device, also cooperates to translate the insert relative to the second window so that a selection of a subset of the second set of numbers is indicated in the second window indicative of a range of acceptable lengths of the closed loop suture correlated for use with the tunnel length indicated by the selection from the first set of numbers.

6. The assembly of claim 5 , wherein the first window is a non-contiguous with the second window.

7. The assembly of claim 5 , wherein the first set of numbers is longitudinally aligned at a first radial position around a perimeter of the insert and the second set of numbers is longitudinally aligned at a second radial position around the perimeter of the insert different from the first radial position.

8. The assembly of claim 5 , wherein the first window faces a different radial direction than the second window.

9. The assembly of claim 5 wherein the assembly further includes a third set of numbers in fixed spatial alignment relative to the second window during the translation of the insert and scaled to indicate a range of possible graft depths, wherein the spatial alignment of the third set of numbers relative to the second window correlates each of the numbers in the indicated selection of the subset of the second set of numbers to a corresponding graft depth from the third set of numbers.

10. A method for using the assembly of claim 1 , the method comprising:

inserting the guide wire through the bone tunnel so as to align the mark with respect to the proximal end of the bone tunnel;

placing the measurement device over the protruding portion of the guide wire so that the protruding portion of the guide wire is received within the measurement device and translating the measurement device over the protruding portion of the guide wire until the distal end of the shaft contacts the distal end of the bone tunnel, thereby displacing the insert;

reading the selection of the subset of the second set of numbers to ascertain the range of acceptable lengths of the closed loop suture for use with the tunnel length indicated by the selection from the first set of numbers;

selecting a length of the closed loop suture from the range of acceptable lengths of the closed loop suture; and

reading the third set of numbers to determine the corresponding graft depth for the selected length of the closed loop suture.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising using the selected length of closed loop suture to attach a soft tissue graft to the tunnel at the corresponding graft depth.

12. A method for using the assembly of claim 5 , the method comprising:

inserting the guide wire through the bone tunnel so as to align the mark with respect to the proximal end of the bone tunnel;

placing the measurement device over the protruding portion of the guide wire so that the protruding portion of the guide wire is received within the measurement device and translating the measurement device over the protruding portion of the guide wire until the distal end of the shaft contacts the distal end of the bone tunnel, thereby displacing the insert;

reading the selection of the first set of numbers through the first window to ascertain the tunnel length of the bone tunnel; and

reading the selection of the subset of the second set of numbers to ascertain the range of acceptable lengths of the closed loop suture for use with the tunnel length indicated by the selection from the first set of numbers.

13. A method for using the assembly of claim 1 , the method comprising:

inserting the guide wire through the bone tunnel so as to align the mark with respect to the proximal end of the bone tunnel;

placing the measurement device over the protruding portion of the guide wire so that the protruding portion of the guide wire is received within the measurement device and translating the measurement device over the protruding portion of the guide wire until the distal end of the shaft contacts the distal end of the bone tunnel, thereby displacing the insert; and

reading the selection of the first set of numbers through the first window to ascertain the tunnel length of the bone tunnel.

14. An assembly for use during ligament reconstruction surgery, the assembly comprising:

a guide wire, the guide wire including a mark configured for aligning the guide wire with respect to a proximal end of a bone tunnel such that a first end of the guide wire is configured to extend through the bone tunnel and protrude out a distal end thereof thereby defining a protruding portion of the guide wire; and

a measurement device, the measurement device including a handle and a shaft coupled to the handle, the measurement device being configured to receive and translate over the protruding portion of the guide wire until a distal end of the shaft contacts the distal end of the bone tunnel;

wherein the assembly defines a first set of numbers configured for display through a first window of the measurement device, the first set of numbers scaled to indicate a range of possible tunnel lengths of the bone tunnel;

wherein the assembly defines a second set of numbers configured for display through a second window of the measurement device, the second set of numbers scaled to indicate a range of possible lengths of a closed loop suture for ligament reconstruction surgery;

wherein the protruding portion of the guide wire is receivable within the measurement device by insertion of the first end of the guide wire through an opening at the distal end of the shaft;

wherein the measurement device is configured so that, when the guide wire is Inserted through the bone tunnel and the mark is aligned with the proximal end of the bone tunnel and when the protruding portion of the guide wire is received within the measurement device and the measurement device is translated over the protruding portion of the guide wire until the distal end of the shaft contacts the distal end of the bone tunnel, the guide wire cooperates with the measurement device to indicate a selection from the first set of numbers in the first window indicative of the tunnel length of the bone tunnel; and

wherein the measurement device is configured so that, when the guide wire is Inserted through the bone tunnel and the mark is aligned with the proximal end of the bone tunnel and when the protruding portion of the guide wire is received within the measurement device and the measurement device is translated over the protruding portion of the guide wire until the distal end of the shaft contacts the distal end of the bone tunnel, the guide wire cooperates with the measurement device to indicate a selection of a subset of the second set of numbers in the second window indicative of a range of acceptable lengths of the closed loop suture correlated for use with the tunnel length indicated by the selection from the first set of numbers.