Surgical knee alignment method and system
First Claim
1. A system of instruments for assisting in performing knee replacement surgery, comprising;
- a cutting guide for guiding an instrument for cutting a knee joint surface; and
means for precisely aligning said cutting guide with respect to the true weight bearing axis of the leg in which the knee is to be replaced, comprising an extensible member having said cutting guide attached at one end thereof; and
an adjustable ankle means at the other end of said body member having means engaging the ankle.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system of precision instruments for utilization in knee surgery, particularly for component replacement includes a series of alignment and cutting guides which function to align various necessary cuts of bone structure with respect to the ankle. The system in its preferred arrangement includes a cutting guide head mounted on an elongated, extensible support frame member having a laterally adjustable ankle guide for adjustably aligning the cutting heads for a proper angle of cut with respect to the weight bearing axis through the ankle and the hip joint. A tibial resection guide head with a cutting guide slot is fixed to the upper end of the elongated extensible support frame member and including a traction grip extending outward from the extendable support frame member for application of traction or tension to the collateral ligaments. An anterior femoral condyle resector/posterior spacer guide is applied to the anterior femoral cortex superior to the anterior condyles, and is used to accurately remove the anterior femoral condyles and predetermine the size of the optimal tibial prosthesis. A distal femoral condyle resector guide is detachably mountable on the frame and includes a cutting guide head for guiding a cut of the distal femur that is aligned with the tibial plateau. A posterior femoral condyle resector/chamfer guide is a template, the actual size of the prosthesis, that provides the surgeon with a visual guide to properly fit the prosthesis on the distal femur, and not only allows for precision cuts on the distal femur but allows the surgeon to make rotational and spacing adjustments at this final stage. A weight bearing axis alignment guide for alignment of the support frame member includes a bracket with an indicator for positioning above the hip joint and a flexible line for extending to the ankle bracket for alignment over the center of the femoral head. A system of tamps and broaches, in conjunction with a drill guide, is used to make precision cuts on the resected tibial and femoral surface, and provides the optimal amount of space around the various stems of the prosthesis, for bone cement.
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Citations
50 Claims
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1. A system of instruments for assisting in performing knee replacement surgery, comprising;
a cutting guide for guiding an instrument for cutting a knee joint surface; and
means for precisely aligning said cutting guide with respect to the true weight bearing axis of the leg in which the knee is to be replaced, comprising an extensible member having said cutting guide attached at one end thereof; and
an adjustable ankle means at the other end of said body member having means engaging the ankle.- View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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37. A method of cutting the bones associated with the knee joint in replacement surgery including the steps of:
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providing an instrument comprising a body member having a slotted ankle bracket attached to one end and a cutting guide attached to the other end; engaging the ankle of the leg on which the knee is to be replaced in the slot of the slotted ankle bracket, aligning the cutting guide with respect to the weight bearing axis of the leg, and cutting a surface of the knee joint while guiding the cutting instrument with said guide. - View Dependent Claims (38, 39)
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40. A system of instruments for assisting in performing knee replacement surgery, said system including:
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a cutting guide for guiding an instrument for cutting a surface of the knee joint; indicia means for aligning the cutting guide with the load bearing axis of the leg; a first alignment member and means for locating said first alignment member in relation to said indicia means; a second alignment member and means for locating said second alignment member in relation to said ankle; and elongated means connected between said first alignment member and said second alignment member for correctly locating said cutting guide along a straight line defined by said elongated means.
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41. A system of instruments for assisting in the performing of knee replacement surgery, said system including;
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a cutting guide for guiding an instrument for cutting a surface of a knee joint; and extensible means for aligning the cutting guide with the load bearing axis of the leg, said extensible means connecting a point above the knee joint to a point below the knee joint and being sufficiently extensible to permit the movement of the points with respect to each other by the surgeon while continuing to connect said points;
said extensible means including flexible means interconnecting said two points, said extensible means including a handle with a slot, said flexible means extending through said slot.
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42. A method of cutting bones associated with the knee joint in knee replacement surgery including the steps of:
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providing a cutting means and a cutting guide including an ankle bracket; locating the true weight bearing axis of the leg in which the knee is to be replaced by engaging the ankle of the leg with the bracket; aligning the cutting guide with respect to the located axis; and cutting a surface of the knee joint while guiding the cutting means with the aligned cutting guide. - View Dependent Claims (43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48)
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49. A method of cutting bones associated with the knee joint in knee replacement surgery including the steps of:
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providing a cutting means and a cutting guide including hip locator member; locating the true weight bearing axis of the leg in which the knee is to be replaced by attaching the hip locator member to the operating table; aligning the cutting guide with respect to the located axis; and cutting a surface of the knee joint while guiding the cutting means with the aligned cutting guide. - View Dependent Claims (50)
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Specification