Importance

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Abstract

A variable angle drill guide and method for its use for securing an end of a ligament graft in a tunnel section of a straight tunnel section that has been formed into a patient's knee in a procedure for replacing a cruciate ligament. The drill guide includes a straight reference rod that is for fitting to slide through a straight hole formed in a slide block and includes a crossing straight hole that is for receiving, fitted therethrough, a straight base leg rod that is bent from one end into a straight drill guide mounting leg, the mount leg, in turn, to mount an arcuate shaped slide track along its top end. The slide track is curved to approximately one hundred twenty (120) degrees of arc and is arranged to maintain a drill guide slide traveling therealong that includes a drill guide barrel that is fitted to slide therethrough. By adjusting and locking positioning of the reference rod and base leg rod fitted through the slide block, the drill guide barrel will point at a target depression formed in the reference rod, whereby a drill turned through the drill guide barrel will form a passage from any point on the frontal cortex of the distal femur or proximal tibia to the target depression, formed in the reference rod. This formed passage will be at an angle to the tunnel section that is greater or lesser than a right angle and, upon removal of the reference rod and installation of a ligament graft in the straight tunnel, the formed passage can receive a screw turned therein to contact the ligament graft end, for mounting it in the tunnel section.

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First Claim