DEVICE FOR MECHANICAL ALIGNMENT OF BONE SCREWS IN A MEDULLARY NAIL

摘要

A drill jig for mechanically aligning a drill guide with one or more transverse bone-screw holes of an intramedullary nail (13) that is installed in an elongate fractured bone, such as a femur or tibia, wherein the intramedullary nail has at least a straight distally extending portion (15), a proximal end (17) adapted for jig attachment and one or more bone-screw holes (18, 18') in said straight distally extending portion, said one or more holes and the axis of the nail defining a first geometric plane of symmetry, said jig comprising: an elongate straight guide bar (26); a rigid handle (23) having means for keyed selective connection to the proximal end of the nail so that said handle extends transversely of the nail and means for guiding and retaining said guide bar parallel to the nail; one or more drill-guide bores in general alignment with said one or more bone screw holes; characterized in that it comprises an outrigger structure (30) removably carried by said guide bar and extending laterally outwardly of said first geometric plane, said outrigger structure having an end with a guide bore in a second geometric plane which includes the axis of said nail and is perpendicular to said first geometric plane, and a spacer rod (35) adapted for mounting to the guide bore of said outrigger structure with such effective projecting length therefrom to contact said nail when the one of more drill-guide bores of said guide bar are truly aligned with the one or more holes of said nail.