Methods and apparatus for performing knee arthroplasty
AssigneeSmith & Nephew, Inc.
InventorsZachary Christopher Wilkinson, Brian William McKinnon, David A. Drucker, Michael D. Ries
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Abstract
Methods and apparatus for performing knee arthroplasty, including, but not limited to, bicruciate retaining knee arthroplasty, are described herein. Methods and apparatus for preparing a distal femur for a femoral implant as well as methods and apparatus for preparing a proximal tibia for a tibial implant are described. These methods and apparatus, in at least some embodiments and uses, facilitate decreasing the complexity of knee arthroplasty procedures such as bicruciate retaining procedures, while maintaining, if not improving on, the safety, accuracy and/or effectiveness of such procedures.
Claims29
A method of performing a bicruciate retaining arthroplasty on a knee joint having a distal femur and a proximal tibia, the method comprising:
- (a) performing at least one planar distal femoral resection on the distal femur to create at least one resected surface on the distal femur for the bicruciate retaining arthroplasty, wherein the at least one planar distal femoral resection is performed prior to performing a proximal tibia resection;
- (b) inserting a distal femoral trial between the resected surface on the distal femur and an unresected surface on the proximal tibia, wherein the distal femoral trial contacts the resected surface on the distal femur and the unresected surface on the proximal tibia, wherein the distal femoral trial has (i) a superior, planar surface for contact with the at least one distal femoral resection and (ii) an inferior, curved surface for contact with the unresected surface on the proximal tibia, wherein the inferior, curved surface replicates a shape and a thickness of a femoral implant for installation on the distal femur;
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- (c) evaluating the distal femoral resection using the distal femoral trial prior to performing at least one box cut on the distal femur that occurs subsequent to the evaluating.
A method of performing an arthroplasty on a knee joint having a distal femur and a proximal tibia, the method comprising:
- (a) performing at least one planar distal femoral resection on the distal femur to create at least one resected surface on the distal femur;
- (b) inserting a trial between the resected surface on the distal femur and an unresected surface on the proximal tibia, wherein the trial contacts the resected surface on the distal femur and the unresected surface on the proximal tibia, wherein the trial has (i) a superior, planar surface for contact with the at least one distal femoral resection and (ii) an inferior, curved surface for contact with the unresected surface on the proximal tibia, wherein the inferior, curved surface defines medial and lateral condylar surfaces, and wherein the trial defines a gap between the medial and lateral condylar surfaces, the trial being inserted with at least a portion of a retained cruciate ligament of the knee joint admitted into the gap while the superior, planar surface of the trial is in contact with the distal femoral resection;
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- (c) evaluating the distal femoral resection using the trial.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.