Method of performing total knee arthroplasty
View Patent ↗An improved method of performing total knee arthroplasty. The method including making an incision having a length of less than eleven (11) centimeters proximate a knee joint of a leg of a patient. Performing all of the following through the incision: moving a femoral cutting guide through the incision; positioning the femoral cutting guide against a femur of the leg; cutting a medial condyle, a lateral condyle, and a trochlear groove of the femur of the leg to create at least one femoral cut surface; moving a unitary femoral component of a knee implant through the incision to replace articulating surfaces of the medial and lateral condyles and the trochlear groove; and positioning the unitary femoral component with respect to the at least one femoral cut surface.
1. A method of performing total knee arthroplasty, the method comprising:
making an incision having a length of less than eleven (11) centimeters proximate a knee joint of a leg of a patient, and performing the following through the incision:
subluxing a patella of the leg without everting the patella so that an inner side surface of the patella remains in a position facing a femur;
moving a femoral cutting guide through the incision;
positioning the femoral cutting guide against the femur of the leg;
securing the femoral cutting guide to the femur of the leg;
positioning a cutting tool in association with a guide surface of the femoral cutting guide;
cutting a medial condyle, a lateral condyle, and a trochlear groove of the femur of the leg with the cutting tool to create at least one femoral cut surface;
moving a single unitary femoral component of a knee implant through the incision to replace all three of the articulating surfaces of the medial and lateral condyles and the trochlear groove; and
positioning the single unitary femoral component with respect to the at least one femoral cut surface.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the incision is located adjacent a medial edge of the patella of the leg.
3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
moving a tibial cutting guide through the incision;
positioning the tibial cutting guide against a tibia of the leg;
cutting the tibia of the leg to create at least one tibial cut surface;
moving a tibial component of the knee implant through the incision; and
positioning the tibial component with respect to the at least one tibial cut surface.
4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising utilizing an extramedullary alignment guide for the positioning the tibial cutting guide.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the incision is made when the knee joint of the leg is flexed.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the incision is made when the knee joint of the leg is extended.
7. The method of claim 6 , wherein a length of the guide surface of the femoral cutting guide is less than a distance between the medial and lateral condyles of the femur.
8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising utilizing an intramedullary alignment guide for the positioning the femoral cutting guide.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the length of the incision is less than ten (10) centimeters.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the incision is stretched with at least one mechanical or pneumatic retractor.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the incision is at an acute angle to a central longitudinal axis of the patella of the leg.
12. A method of performing total knee arthroplasty, the method comprising:
making an incision having a length of less than eleven (11) centimeters proximate a knee joint of a leg of a patient, and performing the following through the incision:
moving a femoral cutting guide through the incision;
positioning the femoral cutting guide against a femur of the leg;
securing the femoral cutting guide to the femur of the leg;
positioning a cutting tool in association with a guide surface of the femoral cutting guide;
cutting a medial condyle, a lateral condyle, and a trochlear groove of the femur of the leg with the cutting tool to create at least one femoral cut surface;
moving a single unitary femoral component of a knee implant through the incision to replace all three of the articulating surfaces of the medial and lateral condyles and the trochlear groove;
positioning the signal unitary femoral component with respect to the at least one femoral cut surface
cutting a portion of a patella of the leg to create a patellar cut surface;
moving a patellar component of the knee implant through the incision; and
positioning the patellar component with respect to the patellar cut surface.
13. A method of performing total knee arthroplasty, the method comprising:
making an incision having a length between nine (9) and twelve (12) centimeters proximate a knee joint of a leg of a patient, and performing the following through the incision:
moving a femoral cutting guide through the incision;
positioning the femoral cutting guide against a femur of the leg;
securing the femoral cutting guide to the femur of the leg;
positioning a cutting tool in association with a guide surface of the femoral cutting guide;
cutting a medial condyle, a lateral condyle, and a trochlear groove of the femur of the leg with the cutting tool to create at least one femoral cut surface;
moving a single unitary femoral component of a knee implant through the incision to replace all three of the articulating surfaces of the medial and lateral condyles and the trochlear groove;
positioning the single unitary femoral component with respect to the at least one femoral cut surface
cutting a portion of a patella to create a patellar cut surface;
moving a patellar component of the knee implant through the incision; and
positioning the patellar component with respect to the patellar cut surface.
14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the incision is located adjacent a medial edge of the patella of the leg.
15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
moving a tibial cutting guide through the incision;
positioning the tibial cutting guide against a tibia of the leg;
cutting the tibia of the leg to create at least one tibial cut surface;
moving a tibial component of the knee implant through the incision; and
positioning the tibial component with respect to the at least one tibial cut surface.
16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising utilizing an extramedullary alignment guide for the positioning the tibial cutting guide.
17. The method of claim 13 , wherein the incision is made when the knee joint of the leg is flexed.
18. The method of claim 13 , wherein the incision is made when the knee joint of the leg is extended.
19. The method of claim 18 , wherein a length of the guide surface of the femoral cutting guide is less than a distance between the medial and lateral condyles of the femur.
20. The method of claim 13 , further comprising utilizing an intramedullary alignment guide for the positioning the femoral cutting guide.
21. The method of claim 13 , wherein the length of the incision is between ten (10) and eleven (11) centimeters.
22. The method of claim 13 , wherein the incision is stretched with at least one mechanical or pneumatic retractor.
23. The method of claim 13 , wherein at least a portion of the incision is at an acute angle to a central longitudinal axis of the patella of the leg.
24. A method of performing total knee arthroplasty, the method comprising:
making an incision having a length between nine (9) and twelve (12) centimeters proximate a knee joint of a leg of a patient, and performing the following through the incision:
subluxing a patella of the leg without everting the patella so that an inner side of the patella remains in a position facing the femur;
moving a femoral cutting guide through the incision;
positioning the femoral cutting guide against a femur of the leg;
securing the femoral cutting guide to the femur of the leg;
positioning a cutting tool in association with a guide surface of the femoral cutting guide;
cutting a medial condyle, a lateral condyle, and a trochlear groove of the femur of the leg with the cutting tool to create at least one femoral cut surface;
moving a single unitary femoral component of a knee implant through the incision to replace all three of the articulating surfaces of the medial and lateral condyles and the trochlear groove; and
positioning the single unitary femoral component with respect to the at least one femoral cut surface.