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  Joint replacement methods and apparatusUSPTO Application #: 20060195113Title: Joint replacement methods and apparatus Abstract: Apparatus and surgical techniques provide alternative cutting fixtures and other features to improve bone resection accuracy and joint stability. According to one embodiment, stabilizers are removably attached to a cutting guide to temporarily lengthen the surface against which a saw or other cutting device rests. Another embodiment provides differently shaped saw blades, having curved distal ends and right-angle bends applicable to box cuts of the type associated with cruciate sacrifice knee-replacement surgery. Methods are also disclosed whereby the box cuts, distal and posterior augment cuts may be approached from a distal perspective, both laterally and medially. A different embodiment provides a trial/cutting guide having flat surfaces as opposed to curved surfaces adapted for articulation within a joint. Yet a further alternative embodiment teaches a device for determining the joint line relative to a tibia using the fibula as reference. (end of abstract)
Agent: John G. Posa Gifford, Krass, Groh, Sprinkle, - Troy, MI, US Inventor: Michael A. Masini USPTO Applicaton #: 20060195113 - Class: 606087000 (USPTO) Related Patent Categories: Surgery, Instruments, Orthopedic Instrumentation, Means For Use In Bone Reperation, Osteotomy Jig Or Fixture The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060195113. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/308,046, filed Dec. 2, 2002; which is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/159,168, filed Sep. 23, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,488,687; which claims priority of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/059,804, filed Sep. 23, 1997. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/308,046 is also a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/300,665, filed Apr. 27, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,602,259, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/937,216, filed Sep. 18, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,897,559, the entire content of all of which are incorporated herein by reference. FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] This invention concerns arthroplasty, and, more particularly, resides in improved cutting guides and techniques to better assist a surgeon in preparing a bone, for example, to receive an implant. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] Whether for primary or revision arthroplasty, cutting guides are typically employed to ensure that the bone saw performs resections corresponding to mating surfaces of the prosthetic component. For example, in a femoral knee replacement, cutting guides or blocks are temporarily secured to the distal end of the femoral shaft, and include slots into which the blade of an oscillating saw is inserted to shape the end of the bone in accordance with corresponding surfaces of the prosthetic element. [0004] In the case of a revision, the procedure is usually more elaborate due to deterioration of the previously prepared surfaces resulting from decomposition of the bone/prosthesis interface, necrosis, and other factors. Cutting blocks are also typically used in revision procedures, though bone deficiency often renders stabilization of the block impossible. In addition, if the cutting block includes a stem, the positioning of the stemmed implant can alter the fit of the final prosthesis relative to the bone. More recently introduced techniques attempt to base the cuts on an intramedullary guide to which additional cutting blocks are mounted. Though such approaches improve bone cutting accuracy, there remains an unacceptable margin of error, the correction of which in some cases requiring a freehand shaping of the bone. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0005] This invention extends and, in certain instances, improves upon, apparatus and methods disclosed and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,716,361, which relates to combination trial/cutting guides, and methods of using the same, in various orthopedic joint situations such as the knee, hip, shoulder, and other areas of the body. The present invention is directed toward apparatus and surgical techniques which augment or supplant certain teachings of the '361 patent with respect to alternative cutting fixtures and resection accuracy and stability. [0006] One embodiment provides stabilizers which are removably attached to a cutting guide so as to temporarily lengthen the surface against which a saw or other cutting device rests. Another embodiment provides differently shaped saw blades, having curved distal ends and right-angle bends applicable to box cuts of the type associated with cruciate-sacrifice knee-replacement surgery. Methods are also disclosed whereby the box cuts, distal and posterior augment cuts may be approached from a distal perspective, both laterally and medially. A different embodiment provides a trial/cutting guide having flat surfaces as opposed to curved surfaces adapted for articulation within a joint. Yet a further alternative embodiment teaches a device for determining the joint line relative to a tibia using the fibula as reference. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0007] FIG. 1 is a drawing which shows the use of stabilizers removably attached to a cutting guide to temporarily lengthening the surface against which a saw or other cutting device uses as a guide; [0008] FIG. 2A is a drawing of a curved saw blade according to the invention [0009] FIG. 2B is a drawing of an alternative saw blade according to the invention, preferably including a right-angle bend; [0010] FIG. 3A is a drawing which depicts a trial/cutting guide having flat surfaces as opposed to curved surfaces adapted for articulation within a joint; [0011] FIG. 3B is a drawing which depicts a trial/cutting guide having truncated surfaces corresponding to chamfer cuts; [0012] FIG. 3C is a drawing which depicts a trial/cutting guide having a rounded surface; [0013] FIG. 4A is a drawing which illustrates a method of approaching box cuts from a distal perspective; [0014] FIGS. 4B and 4C depict alternative ways in which distal and posterior augment cuts may be made from the side, whether laterally or medially; [0015] FIG. 5 shows a device for determining the joint line relative to a tibia using the fibula as reference; [0016] FIG. 6A is a drawing which shows a wedge-shaped defect often encountered in distal femur bone loss; and [0017] FIG. 6B is a drawing which shows a combination trial and cutting guide having "non-parallel" slots and wedges as part of a bone-loss conforming method of resection. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [0018] The present invention extends and, in certain instances, improves upon apparatus and methods disclosed and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,716,361, which issued Feb. 10, 1998, entitled BONE CUTTING GUIDES FOR USE IN THE IMPLANTATION OF PROSTHETIC JOINT COMPONENTS. Accordingly, the entire contents of this patent are incorporated herein by reference. Broadly, the '361 patent relates to combination trial/cutting guides, and methods of using the same, in various orthopedic joint situations such as the knee, hip, shoulder, and other areas of the body. The apparatus resides in a shaped body having an inner surface adapted for temporary placement against a bone surface and an outer surface configured to co-act in a joint, for example, as part of a trial reduction. The present invention is directed toward apparatus and surgical techniques which augment or supplant certain teachings of the '361 patent with respect to alternative cutting fixtures and resection accuracy and stability. The various aspects of the instant disclosure are broadly classified according to broad categories which follow. Continue reading... Full patent description for Joint replacement methods and apparatus Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Joint replacement methods and apparatus patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. 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