US 12,491,009 B2
External fixation strut
Daniele Venturini, Povegliano Veronese (IT); Andrea Ottoboni, Giacciano con Baruchella (IT); Gianluca Milano, Verona (IT); John D. Ross, Jr., Ovilla, TX (US); Karen D. Standefer, Flower Mound, TX (US); Mikhail L. Samchukov, Coppell, TX (US); and Alexander M. Cherkashin, Flower Mound, TX (US)
Assigned to Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children, Dallas, TX (US); and Orthofix S.R.L., Bussolengo (IT)
Filed by Orthofix S.R.L., Bussolengo (IT); and TEXAS SCOTTISH RITE HOSPITAL FOR CHILDREN, Dallas, TX (US)
Filed on May 2, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/311,081.
Application 18/311,081 is a continuation of application No. 16/827,269, filed on Mar. 23, 2020, granted, now 11,826,077.
Prior Publication US 2023/0338062 A1, Oct. 26, 2023
Int. Cl. A61B 17/64 (2006.01); A61B 17/62 (2006.01)
CPC A61B 17/6466 (2013.01) [A61B 17/62 (2013.01)] 21 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
16. An improved external fixation strut comprising:
an elongated body comprising a first hollow tubular shaft and a second hollow tubular shaft sliding in a telescopic manner one inside the other;
a male connector coupled to an end portion of the elongated body and a female connector coupled to the opposite end portion of the elongated body; and
a ball and socket joint associated to each connector and configured for rotating according to a spherical angle up to at least 90°;
wherein each ball and socket joint connector is structured to allow an angular movement of the corresponding connector with a spherical angle up to at least 90°; the ball and socket joint comprising a socket having at least one radial slot extending from an opening edge of the socket toward a base region thereof, the at least one radial slot being configured to locally enable tilting of the connector up to an angle corresponding to the extension of the radial slot, only one of said at least one radial slots being configured to enable tilting of the connector from alignment with the strut to an angle of at least 90° relative thereto.