Bone cutting guides for use in the implantation of prosthetic joint components

Abstract

Improved bone-cutting guides enable a surgeon to better gauge required resection characteristics. A body having an outer surface and an inner surface configured to be positioned against a bone surface to be modified includes one or more openings enabling a bone-cutting tool to be used though the body so as to perform resections beneath the inner surface. To stabilize the bone-cutting tool during the execution of a particular resection, the invention preferably further includes one of more guides which may be temporarily positioned relative to the upper surface of the body. In one embodiment, the outer surface of the body may be shaped to co-act in a joint as part of a trial reduction. For example, the outer surface may be shaped according to a natural proximal tibia, enabling a knee joint reduction to be performed prior to resection. Rather than shaping the outer surface of the body to co-act in a joint as part of a trial reduction, the outer surface of the body may instead be configured to receive an insert featuring the joint-related surfaces.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.