Methods and apparatus for improved profile based resection
Alignment guides, cutting guides, cutting tools and soft tissue management techniques for profile based resection (PBR) arthroplasty facilitate intraoperative and postoperative efficacy and ease of use. In one embodiment, a manual alignment guide is provided that permits less invasive incisions by providing soft tissue accommodating contours or reliefs. In another embodiment, a single medial drill guide plate is used for the PBR arthroplasty.
1 . A method for implanting an orthopedic prosthesis during knee artroplasty surgery comprising:
providing a femoral prosthesis having a fixation surface facing the femur and an articulation surface adapted to articulate with a surface associated with the tibia;
positioning opposing guide patterns along opposing sides of a distal portion of the femur, the guide patterns possessing cutting tool guide surfaces geometrically corresponding to the geometry of the fixation surface of the femoral prosthesis;
fixing the opposing guide patterns in position relative to the femur;
positioning a cutting tool mediolaterally between the femur and the tibia;
engaging the cutting tool with the cutting tool guide surfaces;
manipulating the tibia through a range of motion about the femur while actuating the cutting tool to cut the femur to form a resected surface for the femoral prosthesis; and
operably attaching the fernoral prosethesis to the resected surface.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the wherein the cutting tool further comprises a pair of soft tissue protective sleeves, each soft tissue sleeve surrounding the cutting tool proximate a soft tissue region associated with a respective side of the femur, wherein the soft tissue protective sleeves are biased to track along a contour of a side of the bone and prevent the cutting profile from being exposed to the soft tissue region during the step of manipulating the tibia through a range of motion about the femur while actuating the cutting tool.
3 . A method for implanting an orthopedic prosthesis during knee arthroplasty surgery comprising:
providing a femoral prosthesis having a fixation surface facing the femur and an articulation surface adapted to articulate with a surface associated with the tibia;
positioning a medial guide pattern along a medial side of a distal portion of the femur, the guide pattern possessing cutting tool guide surfaces geometrically corresponding to the geometry of the fixation surface of the femoral prosthesis;
fixing tie medial guide pattern in position relative to the femur;
positioning a cutting tool mediolaterally between the femur and the tibia;
engaging the cutting tool with the cutting tool guide surfaces;
manipulating the tibia through a range of motion about the femur while actuating the cutting tool to cut the femur to form a a resected surface for the femoral prosthesis; and
operably attaching the femoral prosethesis to the resected surface.
4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the wherein the cutting tool fiber comprises a soft tissue protective sleeve surrounding the cutting tool proximate a soft tissue region associated with the medial side of the femur, wherein the soft tissue protective sleeve is biased to track along a contour of a side of the bone and prevent the cutting profile from being exposed to the soft tissue region during the step of manipulating the tibia through a range of motion about the femur while actuating the cutting tool.
5 . An unicondular implantable orthopedic prosthesis for implantation during a knee arthroplasty procedure, the implantable prosthesis comprising:
an implant body formed of a metallic material and having a fixation surface facing a bone and an articulation surface adapted to articulate with respect to another surface,
the fixation surface of the implant body forming a converging opening such that, when the implant body is viewed in cross section profile along a mediolateral axis, lines drawn tangent to an anterior and posterior portions of the upper and a lower cross section profile will converge at a point anterior of a posterior surface of the articulation surface.