Howmedica Osteonics Corporation

Jose Luis Moctezuma

Stuart L Axelson, Jr

Kenneth A Krackow

Gearoid Walsh

Matthew P Poggie

Mattthew P Poggie

A system for resecting a tibia and femur during arthroplasty includes anchoring devices, a three-way alignnment guide attachable to an anchoring device. The alignment guide provides for locating a resection guide in three degrees of freedom, including one translation and two rotations. The resection guide is coupled to a computer navigation system.

Systems used in performing femoral and tibial resection in knee surgery

Tools for resecting tibia and femur include anchoring devices, a three-way alignment guide attachable to the anchoring devices, two embodiments of a resection guide attachable to the alignment guide and equipped with couplings for trackers, a plane probe for examining the resected plane, and apparatus for EM alignment of the resection guide in the event of a computer failure. The methods of the invention include operating a computer aided navigation apparatus in the conventional manner including attaching one or more trackers to the bone to be resected; choosing a location for the anchoring device with or without guidance from the computer and installing the anchoring device; attaching the three-way alignment guide to the anchoring device; attaching a resection guide to the alignment guide; attaching one or two trackers to the resection guide; locating the resection guide with the aid of the alignment guide and the computer; fixing the resection guide to the bone with pins. After the bone is resected, the resection plane probe may be attached to a tracker and moved about the resected plane to obtain feedback from the computer navigation system. In the event of computer failure, the methods include attaching the EM alignment guide to the resection guide; attaching the EM rod to the EM alignment guide; and locating the resection guide by visual location of the EM rod rather than by feedback from the computer navigation system.

Apparatus used in performing femoral and tibial resection in knee surgery

A method for aligning a resection guide relative to a patient's bone has applications during arthroplasty. An alignment guide is coupled to a patient's bone, to which there is coupled a resection guide. The resection guide is positioned along a transactional path and a plurality of rotational paths by manipulation of the alignment guide, thereby providing three degrees of freedom of manipulation over infinitely adjustable ranges.

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Freiburg, Germany

Jose Luis Moctezuma