Femoral surface shaping guide for knee implants

Claim 1

A distal femoral surface shaping guide for fixation to an intramedullary alignment guide having (a) an intramedullary alignment rod portion which is fixed within the intramedullary canal of a femur in such a manner as to have the central long axis of the rod concentric with the central long axis of said femur and (b) an external support means attached to said rod portion in an aligning relationship with respect to the central long axis of the rod portion, said shaping guide comprising, in combination, (A) a main body having an upper surface facing anteriorly with respect to the distal femur when the main body is fixed to the alignment guide, a means for cooperatively engaging said external support means, an adjustable means for fixing said main body in proper alignment with respect to the central long axis of the intramedullary rod portion, a stabilizing means for fixing the main body to the distal femur, and an attachment means fixed to said main body, (B) an anterior femoral cortical surface feeler gauge which cooperatively engages said attachment means and, when engaged, is movable relative to said main body and indicates the amount a shaping means guide surface for shaping the anterior aspect of the femoral condyles is improperly aligned with respect to the upper surface of the anterior femoral cortex so that the adjustable means may be adjusted until said main body is in proper anterior/posterior alignment, and (C) a sufficient number of distal femoral surface shaping guides having shaping means guide surfaces thereon which guides cooperatively engage said attachment means to ultimately permit complete shaping of the distal femur in such a manner that a preselected femoral knee prosthesis can be attached to the shaped distal femur, said feeler gauge and said surface shaping guides cooperatively engaging said attachment means one at a time and said main body remaining fixed to the intramedullary alignment guide during the entire shaping process.

Claim 13

A method of preparing a human femur having a distal femoral surface containing medial and lateral condyles and an intramedullary canal located at the center of a tubular shaft of hard compact bone to receive a distal femoral knee prosthesis, said femur having fixed therein an intramedullary alignment guide having (a) an intramedullary alignment rod portion which is fixed within the intramedullary canal of a femur in such a manner as to have the central long axis of the rod concentric with the central long axis of said femur and (b) an external support means attached to said rod portion in an aligning relationship with respect to the central long axis of the rod portion, said method comprising the steps of (I) fixing to said external support means one component of a distal femoral surface shaping guide, said component being a main body having an upper surface facing anteriorly with respect to the distal femur when the main body is fixed to the alignment guide, a means for cooperatively engaging said external support means, an adjustable means for fixing said main body in proper alignment with respect to the central long axis of the intramedullary rod portion, a means for fixing the main body to the distal femur, and an attachment means fixed to said main body, said main body optionally containing at least one femoral surface shaping means guide surface formed as an integral part of the main body, (II) engaging to said attachment means an anterior femoral cortical surface feeler gauge which cooperatively engages said attachment means and indicates when a shaping means guide surface for shaping the anterior aspect of the femoral condyles is properly aligned with respect to the upper surface of the anterior femoral cortex, (III) adjusting said adjustable means to bring said main body in proper alignment with respect to the upper surface of the anterior femoral cortex, (IV) fixing said main body to the distal femur with said stabilizing means, (V) Removing said feeler gauge from said attachment means, and thereafter (VI) modifying said distal femur through the use of one of the distal femoral surface shaping means guide surfaces present as a part of said main body, (VII) modifying said distal femur using a digtal femoral surface shaping guide having shaping means guide surfaces thereon which guide cooperatively engages said attachment means, if said main body does not contain all distal femoral shaping means guide surfaces necessary to accomplish complete shaping of said distal femur, (VIII) repeating steps (VI) and (VII) as needed until an appropriately shaped distal femoral surface is obtained, and lastly, (IX) removing said main body and intramedullary alignment guide from the shaped femur, wherein said main body remains fixed to the intramedullary alignment guide during the entire shaping process.

Claim 14

A method of preparing a human femur having a distal femoral surface containing medial and lateral condyles and an intramedullary canal located at the center of a tubular shaft of hard compact bone to receive a distal femoral knee prosthesis, said femur having fixed therein an intramedullary alignment guide having (a) an intramedullary alignment rod portion which is fixed within the intramedullary canal of a femur in such a manner as to have the central long axis of the rod concentric with the central long axis of said femur and (b) an external support means attached to said rod portion in an aligning relationship with respect to the central long axis of the rod portion, said method comprising the steps of (I) fixing to said external support means one component of a distal femoral surface shaping guide, said component being a main body having an upper surface facing anteriorly with respect to the distal femur when the main body is fixed to the alignment guide, a means for cooperatively engaging said external support means, an adjustable means for fixing said main body in proper alignment with respect to the central long axis of the intramedullary rod portion, a means for fixing the main body to the distal femur, and an attachment means fixed to said main body, said main body optionally containing at least one femoral surface shaping means guide surface formed as an integral part of the main body, (II) engaging to said attachment means an anterior femoral cortical surface feeler gauge which cooperatively engages said attachment means and indicates when a shaping means guide surface for shaping the anterior aspect of the femoral condyles is properly aligned with respect to the upper surface of the anterior femoral cortex, (III) adjusting said adjustable means to bring said main body in proper alignment with respect to the upper surface of the anterior femoral cortex, (IV) fixing said main body to the distal femur with said stabilizing means, (V) Removing said feeler gauge from said attachment means, and thereafter (VI) modifying said distal femur through the use of one of the distal femoral surface shaping means guide surfaces present as a part of said main body, (VII) modifying said distal femur using a digtal femoral surface shaping guide having shaping means guide surfaces thereon which guide cooperatively engages said attachment means, if said main body does not contain all distal femoral shaping means guide surfaces necessary to accomplish complete shaping of said distal femur, (VIII) repeating steps (VI) and (VII) as needed until an appropriately shaped distal femoral surface is obtained, and lastly, (IX) removing said main body and intramedullary alignment guide from the shaped femur, wherein said main body remains fixed to the intramedullary alignment guide during the entire shaping process.