Importance

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Abstract

A medical drill or pin adapter which is X-ray transparent for aligning a drill bit or pin with an internal line of sight during a surgical procedure utilizes gears mounted within a housing. A drive source engages with the drill adapter rod which in turn rotates, via the gears, a drill bit or pin which is held by the adapter. The drive source is located and oriented out of a line of sight of the direction of the drill bit or pin. The housing, gears and the bit holder for holding the drill bit or pin are formed of X-ray transparent material. The medical drill or pin adapter can be used in a medical X-ray system for aligning a drill bit or pin with an internal line of sight during a surgical procedure. The system includes an X-ray generating source for creating an X-ray field and an imaging monitor for observing an internal configuration in a patient's body within the X-ray field. A power source for rotating the drill bit is connected to the drill adapter rod and a drill bit is mounted to the drill adapter out of the line of sight of the power source. The drill adapter, formed substantially of X-ray transparent material, operatively connects the power source to the drill bit. The adapter is shaped and dimensioned so that the power source is out of the line of sight of the drill bit when a surgeon is aligning the drill bit in a predetermined direction toward the internal configuration in the X-ray field.

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First Claim