Surgical drill guide having keyway for axial alignment of a fastener for use for an orthopedic plate

Abstract

A surgical drill guide for positioning, aligning, and of holes to be drilled in bone tissue has retaining means that holds the position and alignment of the drill guide body in a releasable manner with respect to a fastener hole in an orthopedic implant. The retaining means is a key guide that mates with a key way or key ways in or around a threaded locking hole of an orthopedic plate for alignment of a pilot hole and method of using the guide. The key guide has 2 to 8 projections that extend in the direction of the axis of the hole, such as hemi cylindrical projections, and the plate has a corresponding female key way that receives the retaining means. The invention also relates to a method of aligning a locking fastener in a plate at a desired angle relative to a bone by using a surgical guide having a key interface with the plate to position and align a pilot hole.

1 .- 4 . (canceled) 
     
     
         5 . A method of forming a bone construct for a bone that comprises selecting a plate having one or more through holes for a fastener, where one of more of the holes include an internal thread that mates with a threaded portion on the fastener the method comprising the step of placing the plate on the bone and using a drill guide having a distal end having at least one longitudinally extending projection that mates with a corresponding recess in the through hole in the plate to hold the drill guide at a desired angle relative to the bone, and using the drill guide to guide the angle of a hole in the bone and engaging a fastener which extends through the plate into the hole in the bone and locking the fastener at a desired angle relative to the plate by the screwing the threaded portion of the fastener into the internal thread in the hole in the plate. 
     
     
         6 . A method as set forth in  claim 5  wherein the distal end has from 2 to 8 projections and the plate has a corresponding number of recesses. 
     
     
         7 . A method as set forth in  claim 6  wherein the distal end has 3 or 4 projections. 
     
     
         8 . A method as set forth in  claim 8  wherein the distal end further includes a shoulder and the through hole include a counterbore that receives the shoulder. 
     
     
         9 .- 12 . (canceled) 
     
     
         13 . A method as set forth in  claim 8  wherein the distal end further includes a shoulder and the through hole include a counterbore that receives the shoulder. 
     
     
         14 . A method of forming a bone construct for a bone that comprises selecting a plate having one or more through holes for a fastener, the method comprising the step of placing the plate on the bone and using a drill guide having a distal end having a key that comprises at least one longitudinally extending projection that mates with a key way comprising a corresponding recess in the through hole in the plate to hold the drill guide at a desired angle relative to the bone, and using the drill guide to guide the angle of a hole in the bone and engaging a fastener which extends through the plate into the hole in the bone. 
     
     
         15 . A method as set forth in  claim 14  wherein the distal end has from 2 to 8 projections and the plate has a corresponding number of recesses. 
     
     
         16 . A method as set forth in  claim 15  wherein the distal end has 3 or 4 projections. 
     
     
         17 . A method as set forth in  claim 16  wherein the distal end further includes a shoulder and the through hole includes a counterbore that receives the shoulder. 
     
     
         18 . A method as set forth in  claim 14  wherein the fastener is a locking fastener which resides at a selected angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the plate. 
     
     
         19 . A method as set forth in  claim 18  wherein the at least one through hole include internal threads and the fastener has a trailing end with external threads that mate with the internal threads to lock the angle of the fastener at the selected angle.