Patient-specific-bone-cutting guidance instruments and methods

1. A method for cutting or resurfacing an outer bone surface of a bone of a patient comprising:

mating a patient-specific surface of a patient-specific alignment guide on the outer bone surface, the patient-specific surface preoperatively configured as a negative surface of the outer bone surface;

inserting a reference pin into the bone through a guiding aperture of the patient-specific alignment guide;

removing the patient-specific alignment guide without removing the reference pin;

coupling a resurfacing instrument to the reference pin to register the resurfacing instrument relative to the outer bone surface; and

operating a cutting effector coupled to the resurfacing instrument to resurface the outer bone surface,

wherein operating the cutting effector further includes operating the cutting effector having a patient-specific cutting surface to form a patient-specific cutting surface mirroring the outer bone surface to remove cartilage.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising removing articular cartilage from the outer bone surface using the cutting effector.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the cutting effector is configured with the patient-specific cutting surface.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cutting effector is removable.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein coupling a resurfacing instrument to the reference pin includes coupling a guiding member to the reference pin and engaging the guiding member with a guide tube carrying the cutting effector.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising coupling a distal portion of the guiding member to the reference pin and coupling a proximal portion of the guiding member to the guide tube where the guiding member includes an angled portion between the proximal and distal portions so that upon engaging the guide tube to the proximal portion of the guiding member, with the cutting effector is positioned at a patient-specific location.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising vibrating the cutting effector to remove articular cartilage from the outer bone surface.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising operating the cutting effector coupled to the resurfacing instrument to resurface the outer bone surface of a distal femur.

9. A method for cutting and resurfacing an outer bone surface of a bone of a patient, comprising:

positioning a reference pin in a preoperatively determined alignment direction relative to the outer bone surface;

coupling a first portion of a resurfacing instrument to the alignment pin in a position configured to be aligned along the alignment direction;

coupling a second portion of the resurfacing instrument to the first portion of the resurfacing instrument to position a cutting effector carried by the second portion in a preoperatively determined position relative to the outer bone surface; and

operating the cutting effector coupled to the second portion of the resurfacing instrument to resurface the outer bone surface,

wherein operating the cutting effector further includes operating the cutting effector having a patient-specific cutting surface to form a patient-specific cutting surface mirroring the outer bone surface to remove cartilage.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising removing articular cartilage from the outer bone surface using the cutting effector.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the cutting effector is configured with the patient-specific cutting surface.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the cutting effector is removable.

13. The method of claim 9 , wherein coupling the second portion of the resurfacing instrument to the first portion includes receiving a proximal portion of the first portion of the resurfacing instrument within a guide tube of the second portion of the resurfacing instrument.

14. The method of claim 9 , further comprising vibrating the cutting effector to remove articular cartilage from the outer bone surface.

15. The method of claim 9 , further comprising operating the cutting effector coupled to the resurfacing instrument to resurface the outer bone surface of a distal femur.

16. The method of claim 9 , wherein positioning the reference pin further includes mating a patient-specific surface of a patient-specific alignment guide on the outer bone surface and inserting the reference pin into the bone through a guiding aperture of the patient-specific alignment guide.

17. The method of claim 16 , further including removing the patient-specific alignment guide without removing the reference pin.

18. A method for cutting or resurfacing an outer bone surface of a bone of a patient, comprising:

mating a patient-specific surface of a patient-specific alignment guide on the outer bone surface, the patient-specific surface preoperatively configured as a negative surface of the outer bone surface;

inserting a reference pin into the bone through a guiding aperture of the patient-specific alignment guide;

removing the patient-specific alignment guide without removing the reference pin;

coupling a guiding member to the reference pin;

coupling a guide tube carrying a cutting effector over the guiding member to position the cutting effector at a preoperatively determined patient-specific position; and

operating the cutting effector to resurface the outer bone surface,

wherein operating the cutting effector further includes operating the cutting effector having a patient-specific cutting surface to form a patient-specific cutting surface mirroring the outer bone surface to remove cartilage.

19. The method of claim 18 , further comprising removing articular cartilage from the outer bone surface using the patient-specific cutting surface of the cutting effector.