Device for positioning a bone cutting guide

1. A computer assisted surgery system for positioning a cutting guide relative to a bone comprising:

a cutting guide to be positioned relative to a bone;

a plurality of adjustment screws coupled to the cutting guide for adjusting the position of the cutting guide relative to the bone, wherein the adjustment screws are adjustably extendable from the cutting guide;

a tracking system for tracking a position of the cutting guide relative to the bone;

a computer having stored in a memory a target position for the cutting guide relative to the bone, and wherein the computer is configured to calculate an amount of adjustment required for the plurality of adjustment screws to adjust the position of the cutting guide from its actual position to the target position and then displace the adjustment screw by the calculated amount of adjustment; and

an electrically powered automatic screwdriver operatively connected to the computer for engaging one of the plurality of adjustment screws and adjusting the position of the adjustment screw relative to the cutting guide.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the automatic screwdriver comprises a shaft and an electrically powered actuator for rotating the shaft.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the cutting guide is a tibial resection cutting guide or a femoral resection cutting guide.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the plurality of adjustment screws comprises five adjustment screws for adjusting the position of the femoral resection cutting guide relative to the bone.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the five adjustment screws adjusts the position of the femoral resection cutting guide to control a distal cutting plane, an anterior cutting plane, varus/valgus angles, a rotation angle, or a flexum angle of the femoral resection cutting guide when coupled to the bone.

6. The system of claim 3 , wherein the plurality of adjustment screws comprises three adjustment screws for adjusting the position of the tibial resection cutting guide relative to the bone.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the three adjustment screws adjusts the position of the tibial resection cutting guide to control varus/valgus angles, flexum angle, and cut heights of the tibial resection cutting guide when coupled to the bone.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the cutting guide includes a plurality of resection guide planes.

9. The system of claim 1 , further comprising an intermediate member configured to mate with the cutting guide and couple to the cutting guide with the adjustment screw.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the intermediate member is removable coupled to the cutting guide.

11. The system of claim 9 , wherein the intermediate member includes a quick release mechanism for decoupling from the cutting guide.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the computer is further configured to calculate the amount of adjustment based on a difference in distance along the direction of the adjustment screw between the target position and the actual position.

13. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a three-dimensional computer bone model defining the target position of the cutting guide.

14. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of adjustment screws comprises three adjustment screws coupled to the cutting guide for adjusting the position of the cutting guide relative to the bone.

15. The system of claim 14 , further comprising a display operatively connected to the computer, and wherein the computer is further configured to display on the display a representation of the adjustment screws to be adjusted and color codes the adjustment screws to indicate which adjustment screws needs to be adjusted to adjust the position of the cutting guide to the target position.

16. The system of claim 1 , wherein the computer is further configured to rotate the screwdriver by the calculated amount of adjustment.

17. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a display operatively connected to the computer, and wherein the computer is further configured to display a representation of the target position and the actual position on the display.

18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the computer is further configured to display a representation of a bone to be cut by the cutting guide on the display.

19. The system of claim 1 , further wherein the adjustment screw is movable relative to the cutting guide.

20. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a fastener for fixing the cutting guide to the bone.

21. The system of claim 1 , further comprising at least one additional adjustment screw for adjusting the position of the cutting guide relative to the bone, wherein the computer is further configured to calculate an amount of adjustment required for the at least one additional adjustment screw to adjust the position of the cutting guide from its actual position to the target position and then displace the at least one additional adjustment screw by the calculated amount of adjustment.

22. A computer assisted surgery system for positioning a cutting guide relative to a bone comprising:

a cutting guide to be positioned relative to a bone;

an adjustment screw coupled to and adjustably extendable from the cutting guide for adjusting the position of the cutting guide relative to the bone;

an automatic screwdriver for coupling with the adjustment screw; and

a computer operatively connected to the automatic screwdriver for controlling adjustment of the adjustment screw relative to the cutting guide while the screwdriver is engaged with the adjustment screw.

23. The system of claim 22 , further comprising a tracking system for tracking a position of the cutting guide relative to the bone, and wherein the computer includes a memory having a target position for the cutting guide relative to the bone, wherein the computer is configured to calculate an amount of adjustment required for the adjustment screw to adjust the position of the cutting guide from its actual position to the target position.

24. The system of claim 23 , wherein the computer is further configured to displace the adjustment screw by the calculated amount of adjustment.

25. The system of claim 22 , wherein the computer includes a memory having a three-dimensional computer bone model defining the target position of the cutting guide.

26. The system of claim 22 , further comprising a removable intermediate member coupled to the cutting guide by the adjustment screw.

27. The system of claim 22 , wherein the cutting guide is a tibial resection cutting guide or a femoral resection cutting guide.

28. The system of claim 27 , further comprising at least two additional adjustment screws for adjusting the position of the tibial resection cutting guide relative to the bone.

29. The system of claim 28 , wherein the three adjustment screws adjusts the position of the tibial resection cutting guide to control varus/valgus angles, flexum angle, and cut heights of the tibial resection cutting guide when coupled to the bone.

30. The system of claim 27 , further comprising at least four additional adjustment screws for adjusting the position of the femoral resection cutting guide relative to the bone.

31. The system of claim 30 , wherein the five adjustment screws adjusts the position of the femoral resection cutting guide to control a distal cutting plane, an anterior cutting plane, varus/valgus angles, a rotation angle, or a flexum angle of the femoral resection cutting guide when coupled to the bone.

32. The system of claim 22 , further comprising a display operatively connected to the computer, and wherein the computer is further configured to display a representation of the target position and the actual position on the display.

33. The system of claim 32 , wherein the computer is further configured to display a representation of a bone to be cut by the cutting guide on the display.

34. The system of claim 22 , further comprising at least two additional adjustment screws coupled to the cutting guide for adjusting the position of the cutting guide relative to the bone.

35. The system of claim 22 , wherein the adjustment screw is configured for adjusting the position of the cutting guide relative to the adjustment screw.

36. The system of claim 22 , further comprising a display operatively connected to the computer, wherein the computer is configured to display on the display a representation of a bone to be cut and a representation of the adjustment screw.

37. A computer assisted surgery system for positioning a cutting guide relative to a bone comprising:

a cutting guide to be positioned relative to a bone;

at least three adjustment screws coupled to the cutting guide for adjusting the position of the cutting guide relative to the bone;

a tracking system for tracking a position of the cutting guide relative to the bone;

an automatic screwdriver for independently coupling to each of the at least three adjustment screws to adjust the position of the cutting guide relative to the bone while the cutting guide is coupled to each of the at least three adjustment screws; and

a computer operatively connected to the automatic screwdriver for controlling operations of the screwdriver, the computer including a memory having a target position for the cutting guide relative to the bone, and wherein the computer is configured to calculate an amount of adjustment required for each of the at least three adjustment screws to adjust the position of the cutting guide from its actual position to the target position.

38. The system of claim 37 , wherein the computer is further configured to rotate each of the at least three adjustment screws by the calculated amount of adjustment.

39. The system of claim 37 , wherein the memory further includes a three-dimensional computer bone model defining the target position of the cutting guide.

40. The system of claim 37 , wherein the cutting guide is a tibial resection cutting guide or a femoral resection cutting guide.

41. The system of claim 40 , wherein the three adjustment screws adjusts the position of the tibial resection cutting guide to control varus/valgus angles, flexum angle, and cut heights of the tibial resection cutting guide when coupled to the bone.

42. The system of claim 37 , further comprising a fourth adjustment screw for adjusting the position of the femoral resection cutting guide relative to the bone.

43. The system of claim 42 , wherein the five adjustment screws adjusts the position of the femoral resection cutting guide to control a distal cutting plane, an anterior cutting plane, varus/valgus angles, a rotation angle, or a flexum angle of the femoral resection cutting guide when coupled to the bone.

44. The system of claim 37 , further comprising a display operatively connected to the computer, and wherein the computer is further configured to display a representation of the target position and the actual position on the display.

45. The system of claim 44 , wherein the computer is further configured to display a representation of a bone to be cut by the cutting guide on the display.

46. The system of claim 44 , wherein the computer is further configured to display on the display a representation of the adjustment screws to be adjusted and color codes the adjustment screws to indicate which adjustment screws needs to be adjusted to adjust the position of the cutting guide to the target position.

47. A computer assisted surgery system for positioning a cutting guide relative to a bone comprising:

a cutting guide to be positioned relative to a bone;

at least three adjustment screws coupled to the cutting guide for adjusting the position of the cutting guide relative to the bone;

an automatic screwdriver for coupling with the adjustment screws;

a computer operatively connected to the automatic screwdriver for controlling operations of the screwdriver; and

a display operatively connected to the computer, wherein the computer is further configured to display on the display a representation of the adjustment screws to be adjusted and color codes the adjustment screws to indicate which adjustment screw needs to be adjusted to adjust the position of the cutting guide to a target position.