Patient specific guides

1. A device for an orthopedic knee procedure for a specific patient comprising:

a tibial drill guide having a body portion and first and second elongated posts extending away from and outside the body portion, the first and second posts defining corresponding first and second internal through bores with circular cross-sections for guiding a drill, the first post having a first circular cross-sectional shape and the second post having a second cross-sectional shape, the second post having an outer surface including an elongated cylindrical portion with a circular cross-section and an elongated prismatic portion with a rectangular cross-section extending radially from and attached to the cylindrical portion and forming a keyhole shape with the cylindrical portion, the second internal through bore passing through the elongated cylindrical portion of the second post; and

a patient-specific alignment guide, the alignment guide including:

a body with an inner anatomy-engaging surface shaped to conform and mate as a mirror surface of a corresponding knee joint surface of the patient; and

a single guiding receptacle defining an inner channel sized and shaped to non-rotatably receive the second post of the drill guide, the inner channel having a cross-section with a circular portion and a rectangular portion communicating with the circular portion,

wherein, when the alignment guide is mounted on the joint surface and the second post of the drill guide is received in the single guiding receptacle of the alignment guide, an exterior sidewall of the first post of the drill guide remains exposed and out of contact with the alignment guide and provides clearance for a tendon associated with the joint surface.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the alignment guide is configured according to a pre-operative surgical plan and the inner surface mirrors an anterior portion and a proximal portion of a tibial surface of the patient from imaging scans specific to the patient.

3. A device for an orthopedic knee procedure for a specific patient comprising:

a tibial drill guide having a body portion and first and second posts extending from the body portion, the first and second posts defining corresponding first and second internal through bores with circular cross-sections for guiding a drill, the first post having a circular cross-section and the second post having a non-circular cross-section; and

a patient-specific tibial alignment guide, the alignment guide including:

a body with an inner anatomy-engaging surface shaped from imaging scans of a knee joint of the specific patient to conform and mate as a mirror surface of an anterior portion and a proximal portion of a tibial joint surface of the patient; and

a single guiding receptacle defining an inner channel having a non-circular cross-section sized and shaped to non-rotatably receive the second post of the tibial drill guide, wherein when the alignment guide is mounted on the tibial joint surface and the drill guide is connected to the alignment guide, the first post remains exposed outside the alignment guide and provides clearance for a patellar tendon, the first post at a fixed orientation relative to the single guiding receptacle of the alignment guide.

4. The device of claim 3 , wherein the second post of the tibial drill guide extends away and outside the body portion and has an outer surface with a cylindrical portion with a circular cross-section and a prismatic portion with rectangular cross-section extending from the cylindrical portion and wherein the inner channel of the guiding receptacle of the tibial alignment guide has a cross-section with a circular portion and a rectangular portion.

5. The device of claim 3 , wherein the second post of the drill guide extends away and outside the body portion and has a substantially rectangular cross-section and wherein the inner channel of the tibial alignment guide has a substantially rectangular cross-section.

6. The device of claim 4 , wherein the rectangular portion of the inner channel extends radially from the circular portion.

7. The device of claim 3 , wherein the alignment guide includes an arcuate arm having a distal end engageable with the tibia.

8. An orthopedic method comprising:

mounting a tibial alignment guide on a tibial joint surface of a specific patient, the alignment guide including a body with a patient-specific inner surface shaped from imaging scans of the knee joint of the specific patient to conform and mate as a mirror surface of a proximal portion and an anterior portion of the tibial joint surface of the specific patient, and a single guiding receptacle defining an inner channel having a non-circular cross-section;

engaging the inner surface to the proximal and anterior portions of the tibial joint surface with the guiding receptacle on the anterior portion of the tibial joint surface;

mounting a drill guide on the alignment guide, the drill guide having a body portion and first and second posts extending from the body portion, the first and second posts defining first and second internal through bores with circular cross-sections, the first post having a first circular cross-sectional shape and the second post having a second non-circular cross-sectional shape configured to mate with the non-circular cross-sectional shape of the inner channel of the alignment guide;

non-rotatably inserting the second post of the drill guide into the inner channel of the guiding receptacle of the alignment guide; and

placing the first post outside the alignment guide without interfering with a patellar tendon of the patient.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the inner channel of the guiding receptacle includes a cylindrical portion having a circular cross-section and a prismatic portion having a rectangular cross-section extending from the cylindrical portion and wherein the second post of the drill guide includes an outer surface having a cylindrical portion with a circular cross-section and a prismatic portion with a rectangular cross-section extending from the cylindrical portion and wherein the second internal through bore passes through the cylindrical portion.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the inner channel of the guiding receptacle of the alignment guide includes a rectangular cross-section.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the second post of the drill guide includes an outer surface having a rectangular cross-section configured to be received into and mate with the rectangular-cross-section of the inner channel.