Drill guides and inserters for bone plates having hook members

Abstract

A system for assisting a surgeon in implanting hook plate-type bone plates includes a cannulated multiple barreled drill guide, a cannulated inserter/impactor, and a cannulated fastener coupling the inserter/impactor to a bone plate. The multiple barreled drill guide facilitates the drilling of at least two parallel holes at the distal end of a bone at the correct position and angle of entry, and includes a body and two drill guide channels coupled to the body in substantially parallel orientation relative to each other, with a guide pin aperture disposed between and substantially parallel to the drill guide tubes. The inserter/impactor likewise includes a central channel accommodating the same guide pin employed to place and align the multiple barreled drill guide.

1 - 23 . (canceled) 
     
     
         24 . A system for facilitating the implanting of a bone plate into bone, the system comprising:
 a bone plate having a body including at least two hook shaped members for insertion into holes in a bone proximate a fracture site, the at least two hook shaped members being spaced apart from each other for insertion into holes placed into the bone a predetermined distance apart from each other; and   a cannulated impacting instrument securely attachable to the bone plate and having a cannulated channel extending through at least a portion of the impacting instrument, the cannulated channel of the impacting instrument being sized for insertion of a guide pin and having a predominantly longitudinal axis extending therethrough.   
     
     
         25 . The system according to  claim 24 , wherein, upon attachment of the impacting instrument to the bone plate, the cannulated channel of the impacting instrument is oriented along an axis substantially parallel to longitudinal axes of the hook shaped members of the bone plate. 
     
     
         26 . The system according to  claim 24 , wherein, upon attachment of the impacting instrument to the bone plate, the impacting instrument is not in contact with any surface portion of the bone plate that will, in turn, be in contact with the bone upon the implanting of the bone plate. 
     
     
         27 . The system according to  claim 24 , further comprising a fastener securely coupling the impacting instrument to the bone plate. 
     
     
         28 . The system according to  claim 27 , wherein the fastener securely coupling the impacting instrument to the bone plate is a cannulated fastener, permitting a pilot hole for a locking fastener to be drilled by advancing a drill bit through both the cannulated fastener and the bone plate and into adjacent bone. 
     
     
         29 . The system according to  claim 27 , wherein, upon attachment of the impacting instrument to the bone plate, the fastener is coupled to an aperture that is disposed through the body of the bone plate and that is positioned to permit a locking fastener to be placed though the aperture and into the bone along an extended axis intersecting a plane joining longitudinal axes of two hook shaped members of the bone plate. 
     
     
         30 . The system according to  claim 27 , wherein, upon attachment of the impacting instrument to the bone plate, a channel extends through the fastener coupling the impacting instrument to the bone plate and through a locking fastener accepting aperture of the bone plate having a predominantly longitudinal axis at an alignment and position, relative to a predominantly longitudinal axis of the body of the bone plate, that is substantially the same as the alignment and positioning of a predominantly transverse longitudinal axis extending through a locking fastener accepting aperture of the bone plate. 
     
     
         31 . The system according to claim  1 , wherein the impacting instrument further includes a detachable handle. 
     
     
         32 . The system according to  claim 31 , wherein the detachable handle includes a top impacting surface and an open interior region in communication with the longitudinal channel upon attachment of the detachable handle to the impacting instrument. 
     
     
         33 . The system according to claim  1 , wherein the bottom surface of the impacting instrument has a surface contour substantially matching a top surface contour of an adjacent portion of the bone plate upon attachment of the impacting instrument to the bone plate. 
     
     
         34 . The system according to claim  1 , further comprising:
 a drill guide facilitating drilling of at least two parallel holes in the bone for insertion of associated hook shaped members of the bone plate, the drill guide comprising a body having at least two drill guide channels extending through the body in substantially parallel orientation relative to each other and spaced apart from each other by a distance substantially coinciding with the predetermined distance, enabling at least two pilot holes to be drilled through the drill guide channels and into the bone for accepting the hook shaped members of the bone plate following placement of the drill guide adjacent the bone.   
     
     
         35 . The system according to  claim 34 , wherein the body of the drill guide further including at least one cannulated channel extending therethrough in substantially parallel orientation relative to the at least two drill guide channels and being sized to permit the insertion of a guide pin therethrough, enabling the pilot holes to be drilled at predetermined positions relative to a guide pin extending through the cannulated channel and into adjacent bone; 
     
     
         36 . The system according to  claim 35  wherein, upon attachment of the impacting instrument to the bone plate, the predominantly longitudinal axis of the cannulated channel of the impacting instrument is spaced and oriented relative to the predominantly longitudinal axes of the hook shaped members in a manner substantially equal to a spacing and orientation of a predominantly longitudinal axis of the cannulated channel of the drill guide relative to the predominantly longitudinal axes of the drill guide channels. 
     
     
         37 . The system according to  claim 34 , wherein:
 the body of the bone plate includes a predominantly longitudinal axis and a contoured bottom surface, with at least two of the hook shaped members each having a predominantly longitudinal axis disposed at a first angle relative to the predominantly longitudinal axis of the body of the bone plate;   the body of the drill guide includes a predominantly longitudinal axis and a contoured bottom surface, and at least two of the drill guide channels each have a predominantly longitudinal axis extending therethrough and disposed at a second angle relative to the predominantly longitudinal axis of the body of the drill guide;   at least a first portion of the contoured bottom surface of the bone plate substantially matching in contour a corresponding first portion of the contoured bottom surface of the drill guide;   the first angle and the second angle being substantially equal to each other; and   the predominantly longitudinal axes of the drill guide channels being spaced and oriented relative to the first portion of the contoured bottom surface of the drill guide in a manner substantially equal to a spacing and orientation of the predominantly longitudinal axes of the hook shaped members relative to the matching first portion of the contoured bottom surface of the bone plate.   
     
     
         38 . The system according to  claim 34 , wherein the body of the bone plate further includes a locking fastener hole extending through the body and positioned to permit a fastener extending therethrough to be placed into the bone, and wherein the drill guide further includes a locking fastener positioning channel extending therethrough, the locking fastener positioning channel having a predominantly longitudinal axis extending therethrough that is oriented and positioned relative to predominantly longitudinal axes of the at least two drill guide channels in a manner substantially equal to an orientation and positioning of a predominantly longitudinal axis extending through the locking fastener hole of the bone plate relative to predominantly longitudinal axes of the at least two hook members of the bone plate, permitting a locking fastener pilot hole to be drilled through the locking fastener positioning channel and into the bone at an orientation permitting subsequent insertion of a locking fastener through the locking fastener hole and into the locking fastener pilot hole. 
     
     
         39 . The system according to  claim 35 , wherein the drill guide further comprises at least one proximal guide pin aperture disposed through the body of the drill guide proximate an opposing end of the body relative to the drill guide channels and sized to permit a guide pin to be extended therethrough. 
     
     
         40 . The system according to  claim 39 , wherein the at least one proximal guide pin aperture extends through the body of the drill guide in substantially parallel orientation relative to the cannulated channel of the drill guide. 
     
     
         41 . The system according to  claim 34 , wherein at least one of the drill guide channels has a predominantly longitudinal axis extending therethrough that is disposed at an angle relative to a predominantly longitudinal axis of a flared region of the body of the drill guide that substantially corresponds to an angle between a predominantly longitudinal axis of a hook shaped member of the bone plate and a predominantly longitudinal axis of an adjacent, flared region of the body of the bone plate. 
     
     
         42 . The system according to  claim 35 , wherein the impacting instrument further comprises a body having a bottom surface, the cannulated channel of the impacting instrument extending from the bottom surface and through at least a portion of the body and, upon attachment of the impacting instrument to the bone plate, a predominantly longitudinal axis extending through the cannulated channel of the impacting instrument is aligned and positioned relative to predominantly longitudinal axes of the two hook shaped members of the bone plate at substantially the same relative alignment and positioning as a predominantly longitudinal axis of the cannulated channel of the drill guide is aligned and positioned relative to predominantly longitudinal axes of at least two drill guide channels of the drill guide. 
     
     
         43 . A system for facilitating the implanting of a bone plate into bone, the system comprising:
 a bone plate having a body including at least two hook shaped members for insertion into holes in a bone proximate a fracture site, the at least two hook shaped members being spaced apart from each other for insertion into holes placed into the bone a predetermined distance apart from each other;   a cannulated drill guide facilitating drilling of at least two parallel holes in the bone for insertion of associated hook shaped members of the bone plate, the drill guide comprising a body having at least two drill guide channels extending through the body in substantially parallel orientation relative to each other and spaced apart from each other by a distance substantially coinciding with the predetermined distance;   the body of the drill guide further including at least one cannulated channel extending therethrough in substantially parallel orientation relative to at least one drill guide channel and being sized to permit the insertion of a guide pin therethrough, enabling at least two pilot holes to be drilled through the drill guide channels and into the bone, for accepting the hook shaped members of the bone plate following placement of the drill guide adjacent the bone such pilot holes being drilled at predetermined positions relative to a guide pin extending through the cannulated channel and into adjacent bone; and   a cannulated impacting instrument securely attachable to at least a portion of the bone plate, the impacting instrument comprising a body having a bottom surface and a longitudinal channel extending from the bottom surface and through at least a portion of the body, wherein, upon attachment of the impacting instrument to the bone plate, the longitudinal channel of the impacting instrument being oriented along a predominantly longitudinal axis extending generally parallel to predominantly longitudinal axes of the hook shaped members of the bone plate.   
     
     
         44 . The system according to  claim 43 , further comprising a fastener securely coupling the impacting instrument to the bone plate. 
     
     
         45 . The system according to  claim 44 , wherein the fastener securely coupling the impacting instrument to the bone plate is a cannulated fastener, permitting a pilot hole for a locking fastener to be drilled by advancing a drill bit through both the cannulated fastener and the bone plate and into adjacent bone. 
     
     
         46 . The system according to  claim 45 , wherein, upon attachment of the impacting instrument to the bone plate, a channel extends through the fastener coupling the impacting instrument to the bone plate and through a locking fastener hole of the bone plate having a predominantly longitudinal axis at an alignment and position, relative to a predominantly longitudinal axis of the body of the bone plate, that is substantially the same as the alignment and positioning of a predominantly transverse longitudinal axis extending through the locking fastener hole of the bone plate. 
     
     
         47 . The system according to  claim 43 , wherein the body of the bone plate further includes a locking fastener hole extending through the body and positioned to permit a fastener extending therethrough to be placed into the bone, and wherein the drill guide further includes a locking fastener positioning channel extending therethrough, the locking fastener positioning channel having a predominantly longitudinal axis being spaced from predominantly longitudinal axes of at least two drill guide channels at a position substantially coinciding with the spacing of a predominantly longitudinal axis of the locking fastener hole of the bone plate relative to predominantly longitudinal axes of at least two hook members of the bone plate, and wherein, upon attachment of the impacting instrument to the bone plate, a channel extends through the cannulated fastener and bone plate having a predominantly longitudinal axis at an alignment and position, relative to a predominantly longitudinal axis of the body of the bone plate, that is substantially the same as the alignment and positioning of a predominantly longitudinal axis the locking fastener positioning channel relative to a predominantly longitudinal axis the body of the drill guide.