Method and apparatus for positioning a cutting tool for orthopedic surgery using a localization system

A method of using a surgical navigation system for navigating a cutting jig for cutting a bone relative to said bone in multiple degrees of freedom, said cutting jig being mountable to said bone by first and second pins, said method comprising the steps of:

• (1) navigating the first pin relative to the bone in at least a first degree of freedom that will define said first degree of freedom of said jig;
• (2) mounting said first pin to said bone;
• (3) mounting the jig on the first pin;
• and
• (4) navigating the jig relative to the bone in at least a second degree of freedom while mounted on said first pin.

A computer readable product embodied on computer readable media readable by a computing device for generating a display for a surgical navigation system to be used for positioning a medical device relative to an anatomical feature, the product comprising:

• first computer executable instructions for generating a first graphical user interface that illustrates the relative position of the medical device relative to the anatomical feature in a first degree of freedom, whereby a surgeon can position said medical device relative to said anatomical feature in said first degree of freedom;
• second computer executable instructions for switching the display to a second graphical user interface responsive to a command;
• and
• third computer executable instructions for generating said second graphical user interface that illustrates the relative position of the medical device relative to the anatomical feature in a second degree of freedom, whereby a surgeon can position said medical device relative to said anatomical feature in said second degree of freedom.