Method and apparatus for coupling soft tissue to a bone

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9149267-B2
Application number	US-201113293825-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 10, 2011
Priority date	Feb 3, 2006
Publication date	Oct 6, 2015
Grant date	Oct 6, 2015

Abstract

A method can include forming a bore in a bone of a patient and positioning a first anchor in the bore. The first anchor can have a self-locking adjustable suture construct extending therefrom that can include first and second adjustable loops. The first adjustable loop can be positioned about a first portion of the soft tissue and the second adjustable loop can be positioned about a second portion of the soft tissue different than the first portion. A coupling element carried by the second adjustable loop can be coupled to the first adjustable loop. An end of the adjustable suture construct can be tensioned to reduce a size of the first and second adjustable loops to couple the soft tissue to the bone.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for use in coupling soft tissue to bone, comprising:
forming a bore in a bone of a patient;
positioning a first anchor in the bore of the bone, the first anchor having a self-locking adjustable suture construct extending therefrom, the adjustable suture construct having first and second adjustable loops;
positioning the first adjustable loop about a first portion of the soft tissue;
positioning the second adjustable loop about a second portion of the soft tissue different than the first portion;
positioning a coupling element carried by the second adjustable loop through the first adjustable loop; and
tensioning an end of the adjustable suture construct such that the coupling element is coupled to the first adjustable loop and the first and second adjustable loops cooperate to form a loop structure over at least a portion of the soft tissue to couple the soft tissue to the bone.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein positioning the first anchor in the bore of the bone includes positioning a first flexible anchor in the bore of the bone; and
wherein positioning the coupling element carried by the second adjustable loop through the first adjustable loop includes positioning a second flexible anchor carried by the second adjustable loop through the first adjustable loop.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein positioning the first adjustable loop about the first portion of the soft tissue includes piercing the first adjustable loop through the first portion of the soft tissue.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein positioning the first adjustable loop about the first portion of the soft tissue includes:
positioning the first adjustable loop between the soft tissue and the bone such that the first adjustable loop extends about a first side of the soft tissue; and
wherein positioning the second adjustable loop about a second portion of the soft tissue includes positioning the second adjustable loop relative to a second opposite side of the soft tissue.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein positioning the second adjustable loop relative to the second portion of the soft tissue includes positioning the second adjustable loop and the second flexible anchor carried thereby through at least a portion of the first portion of the soft tissue.

6. The method of claim 2 , wherein tensioning an end of the adjustable suture construct includes tensioning first and second ends of the adjustable suture construct thereby drawing the first flexible anchor and leg members extending therefrom that can move relative to the adjustable suture construct into engagement with a cortical layer of the bone to secure the adjustable suture construct to the bone.

7. The method of claim 2 , wherein positioning the first flexible anchor in the bore of the bone includes positioning the first flexible anchor slidably coupled to a passage portion of the adjustable suture construct in the bore, the first and second adjustable loops extending from the passage portion.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein tensioning an end of the adjustable suture construct includes:
tensioning a first end of the adjustable suture construct to reduce a size of the first loop such that an end portion of the first loop engages a portion of the second loop and draws the portion of the second loop toward the soft tissue; and
tensioning a second end of the adjustable suture construct to draw the second flexible anchor carried by an end portion of the second loop into engagement with the end portion of the first loop to form the loop structure.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein tensioning the second end to draw the second flexible anchor carried by the end portion of the second loop into engagement with the end portion of the first loop includes drawing the second flexible anchor and leg members extending therefrom that are not carried by the second loop into engagement with the first loop.

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein positioning the first flexible anchor in the bore of the bone includes positioning the first flexible anchor slidably coupled to a passage portion of the adjustable suture construct in the bore, the adjustable suture construct having a first end of a suture extending into and through the passage portion defined by the suture so as to place the first end of the suture outside of the passage portion and define the first adjustable loop, and having a second end of the suture extending into and through the passage portion so as to place the second end of the suture outside of the passage portion and define the second adjustable loop.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the first end of the suture is passed into the passage portion through a first aperture defined by the suture into the passage portion and out a second aperture defined by the suture, and the second end of the suture is passed through the second aperture into the passage portion and out the first aperture.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the first adjustable loop extends from a first end of the passage portion and the second adjustable loop extends from a second opposite end of the passage portion.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the first adjustable loop and the second adjustable loop each extend from the first and second ends of the passage portion.

14. The method of claim 7 , wherein tensioning an end of the adjustable suture construct includes:
tensioning a first end of the adjustable suture construct to reduce a size of the first loop such that an end portion of the first loop engages a portion of the second loop and draws the portion of the second loop into the bore; and
tensioning a second end of the adjustable suture construct to reduce a size of the second adjustable loop about the end portion of the first adjustable loop and draw the second flexible anchor toward the end portion of the first adjustable loop and into engagement with the soft tissue, the bone, the end portion of the first loop, or combinations thereof.

15. The method of claim 2 , wherein positioning the second flexible anchor carried by the second adjustable loop through the first adjustable loop includes positioning the second flexible anchor carried by the second adjustable loop through an annular fastening element carried by the first adjustable loop; and
wherein tensioning an end of the adjustable suture construct such that the coupling element is coupled to the first adjustable loop includes tensioning first and second ends of the adjustable suture construct such that the second flexible anchor engages with the fastening element to couple the first adjustable loop to the second adjustable loop and cooperate to form the loop structure.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein positioning the second flexible anchor carried by the second adjustable loop through an annular fastening element carried by the first adjustable loop includes positioning a passing strand integrally formed with the second flexible anchor so as to extend from one end thereof through the annular fastening element; and
drawing the passing strand through the fastening element to draw the second flexible anchor and a portion of the associated second adjustable loop through the fastening element.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein forming the bore in the bone of the patient includes forming the bore in a glenoid; and
wherein positioning the first and second adjustable loops about the respective first and second portions of the soft tissue includes positioning the first and second adjustable loops about the respective first and second portions of a labrum.

1

Assignees

• Norton Daniel
• Stone Kevin T
• Denham Gregory J
• Kaiser Ryan A
• Biomet Sports Medicine Llc

Inventors

• Norton Daniel
• Stone Kevin T
• Denham Gregory J
• Kaiser Ryan A

Classifications

• A61B2017/0441

  the shaft being a rigid coil or spiral · CPC title

• A61B2017/0414

  having a suture-receiving opening, e.g. lateral opening · CPC title

• A61B17/0401 Primary

  Suture anchors, buttons or pledgets, i.e. means for attaching sutures to bone, cartilage or soft tissue; Instruments for applying or removing suture anchors (A61B17/0642 takes precedence; fixation devices for tendons or ligaments A61F2/0811) · CPC title

• A61B17/1655

  for tapping · CPC title

• A61B2017/0445

  cannulated, e.g. with a longitudinal through-hole for passage of an instrument · CPC title