Osteotomy method and apparatus

An osteotomy method for removing a wedge-shaped piece of an elongate bone, the method comprising:

• installing a pivot pin at the approximate intersection of two angularly-displaced generally planar cuts to be made in the bone on opposite sides of the wedge, the axis of the pin being substantially parallel with the plane of both cuts;
• providing an osteotomy guide with a saw guide suitable for establishing a cut plane and an elongate alignment member extending generally transversely of the cut plane established by the saw guide;
• coupling the osteotomy guide to the pivot pin;
• aligning the alignment member with a predetermined portion of the bone;
• making a first cut in the bone along the cut plane established by the saw guide;
• pivoting the osteotomy guide about the axis of the pin to align the alignment member with the desired final position of the predetermined portion of the bone, where orientation between the cut plane and the alignment member is substantially the same before and after pivoting;
• cutting the bone along the cut plane established by the saw guide;
• and
• removing the wedge of bone.

An osteotomy method for removing a wedge-shaped piece of bone from the proximal region of a patients tibia to make varus to valgus and valgus to varus corrections of the patient's knee joint, the method comprising:

• installing a pivot pin at the approximate intersection of two angularly-displaced generally planar cuts to be made in the tibia on opposite sides of the wedge;
• providing an osteotomy guide with a saw guide suitable for establishing a cut plane and an elongate alignment member extending generally transversely of the cut plane established by the saw guide;
• attaching the osteotomy guide to the pin so that the saw guide and the alignment member can pivot about the axis of the pin;
• aligning the saw guide and the alignment member so that the elongate axis of the alignment member is generally parallel to a line leading from the head of the patient's femur to the medial compartment of the knee joint;
• making a cut along the cut plane established by the saw guide;
• pivoting the saw guide and the alignment member so that the elongate axis of the alignment member is generally parallel to a line leading from the medial compartment the knee joint to the distal tip of the tibia and the orientation between the cut plane established by the saw guide and the elongate axis of the alignment member is the same as during the step of making a cut;
• and
• cutting the bone along the cut plane established by the saw guide as positioned in the step of pivoting.

An osteotomy apparatus for positioning and guiding a pair of intersecting planar cuts in a bone, the guide comprising:

• a pivot pin mounted to the bone near the intersection of the two intersecting planar cuts;
• a guide member pivotally coupled to the pivot pin and including a saw guide for establishing a cut plane;
• a cutting device to cut the bone in the cut plane established by the saw guide;
• and
• an elongate alignment member coupled to the saw guide and extending in an orientation generally transverse to the cut plane, where the alignment member is at least half as long as the bone along their respective elongate axes.