System and method for registration in orthopaedic applications

The method of claim I, further comprising:

• creating a virtual three-dimensional model of the bone of the patient.

A method for creating a custom registration guide a bone of a patient, the method comprising:

• placing a malleable registration guide onto an adjustable model;
• and
• shaping the registration guide to fit to the adjustable model to create the custom registration guide.

A system for creating a three-dimensional model of a bone of a patient, the system comprising:

• a processor configured to receive patient scan data and to transform said patient scan data into adjustable model instructions;
• and
• a machine, coupled to an adjustable model having a plurality of moveable elements, configured to receive the adjustable model instructions and to move a number of the moveable elements to create the three-dimensional model of the bone.

A system for intraoperatively determining the location of a bone of a patient, the system comprising:

• a digitizer configured to determine intraoperatively the location of the fiducial markers;
• and
• a processor, coupled to the digitizer, and configured to determine the location of the registration guide with respect to the fiducial markers and to determine the location of the patient's bone with respect to the registration guide.