| abstract |
The apparatus is intended particularly for the accurate drilling of bones preparatory to insertion of cross screws in intramedullary fixation devices. The apparatus comprises a flexible drive (23) whose remote end is connected to a drive motor (not shown). The drive (23) has a gear (17) which in turn rotates gears (18 and 19) mounted in a drill head (11) of radiolucent material. The drill head (11) is equipped with handles (14) whereby the surgeon may control operation of the drill. The gear (18) is made of radiolucent material, but the gear (19) is made of stainless steel, and carries a drill bit (20). A pair of rings (21, 22) coaxial with drill bit (20) and made of radiodense material are attached to the upper and lower surfaces respectively of the drill head (11) so as to be axially spaced. This arrangement enables a parallax method to be used to X-ray align the drill bit. Final accurate alignment may be effected by viewing down the radiolucent interior of the drill bit itself. A two gear version is also described. |