Locking structures for affixing bone anchors to a bone plate, and related systems and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10772665-B2
Application number	US-201815940761-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 29, 2018
Priority date	Mar 29, 2018
Publication date	Sep 15, 2020
Grant date	Sep 15, 2020

Abstract

A bone plate includes an upper surface, an opposed lower surface configured to face a bone, and at least one aperture extending through the bone plate from the upper to the lower surface along a central aperture axis. The aperture is defined by an interior surface of the bone plate. The interior surface defines a plurality of columns sequentially located about a circumference of the interior surface and a plurality of recesses located circumferentially between the columns. Each of the columns is configured to undergo deformation at least in a radial direction perpendicular to the central aperture axis responsive to engagement with a head of a locking bone screw that is receivable within the at least one aperture so as to lock the head to the bone plate. The plurality of columns comprises at least five columns.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A bone plate, comprising:
an upper surface configured to face away from a bone and an opposed lower surface configured to face the bone; and
at least one aperture extending through the bone plate from the upper surface to the lower surface along a central aperture axis, the at least one aperture defined by an interior surface of the bone plate, the interior surface further defining a plurality of columns sequentially located about a circumference of the interior surface and a plurality of recesses located circumferentially between the columns, wherein each of the columns is configured to undergo deformation at least in a radial direction perpendicular to the central aperture axis responsive to engagement with a head of a locking bone screw receivable within the at least one aperture so as to lock the head to the bone plate, and the plurality of columns comprises at least five columns.

2. The bone plate of claim 1 , wherein the deformation includes plastic deformation, and the columns are configured such that the plastic deformation reduces cross-threading of the columns.

3. The bone plate of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of columns comprises at least nine columns.

4. The bone plate of claim 1 , wherein the columns are evenly spaced about the circumference of the interior surface.

5. The bone plate of claim 1 , wherein each column defines a first surface substantially facing the central aperture axis, and a pair of side surfaces located on adjacent circumferential sides of the first surface, the pair of side surfaces at least partially defining a respective pair of the recesses on the adjacent circumferential sides of the first surface.

6. The bone plate of claim 5 , wherein at least one of the first surfaces of the plurality of columns has a convex profile in a reference plane orthogonal to the central aperture axis.

7. The bone plate of claim 5 , wherein at least one of the first surfaces of the plurality of columns has a concave profile in a reference plane orthogonal to the central aperture axis.

8. The bone plate of claim 5 , wherein the first surfaces of each of the columns taper radially inwardly from the upper surface to the lower surface at an angle in a range of about 3 degrees to about 30 degrees to the central aperture axis.

9. The bone plate of claim 5 , wherein the at least one aperture includes internal threading that helically traverses the plurality of columns such that each column defines one or more thread portions of the internal threading, and the one or more thread portions of at least some of the columns are configured to undergo at least some of the deformation when the head of the locking bone screw is inserted.

10. The bone plate of claim 9 , wherein the internal threading is tapered along a taper axis that extends along roots of the internal threading and is oriented such that the taper axis and the central aperture axis are each coextensive in a common reference plane, and the taper axis is angled radially inwardly from the upper surface to the lower surface at an angle in a range of about 4 degrees to about 40 degrees to the central aperture axis.

11. The bone plate of claim 10 , wherein the internal threading is configured such that each column defines an upper column portion defining the one or more thread portions and a lower column portion having no threading, the lower column portion is configured to be deformed by external threads of the screw head, and the deformation occurs substantially without removal of material from the respective column.

12. The bone plate of claim 1 , wherein the interior surface of the aperture further defines a lower relief surface extending upward from the lower surface of the bone plate toward the upper surface and the relief surface defines a portion of each of the columns.

13. The bone plate of claim 12 , wherein the internal threading helically traverses the columns from an upper end of each column to the lower relief surface.

14. The bone plate of claim 1 , wherein the recesses are each angled radially inwardly from the upper surface to the lower surface at an angle in a range of about 0 degrees to about 30 degrees to the central aperture axis.

15. The bone plate of claim 1 , wherein the recesses are each oriented substantially parallel to the central aperture axis.

16. The bone plate of claim 1 , wherein the at least one aperture intersects another aperture, and the at least one aperture and the another aperture collectively define a combi-hole.

17. A system for affixation to one or more portions of bone, the system comprising:
the bone plate of claim 1 ; and
one or more locking bone screws that are each insertable within the at least one aperture at one or more of a nominal angle and a variable angle.

18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the one or more locking bone screws includes one or more variable angle bone screws.

19. The system of claim 18 , wherein the one or more locking bone screws comprises a plurality of locking bone screws, and the plurality of locking bone screws includes locking bone screws having different shapes, different sizes, or different shapes and different sizes.

20. The system of claim 17 , wherein the one or more locking bone screws are made from a first material, and the bone plate is made from a second material, wherein the first material is harder than the second material.

Assignees

• Depuy Synthes Products Inc

Inventors

• Bosshard Simon M
• Mcgurk Michael
• Keegan Christopher
• Rush Jesse B

Classifications

• A61B17/8052

  immobilised relative to screws by interlocking form of the heads and plate holes, e.g. conical or threaded · CPC title

• A61B17/8605

  Heads, i.e. proximal ends projecting from bone · CPC title

• A61B17/8057 Primary

  the interlocking form comprising a thread · CPC title