Patent ID: 9717510
Date: 2017-08-01
CPC Classifications: A61B,B33Y

Claim:
1. A method for preparing a bone of a joint of a patient comprising: mounting a patient specific reference guide on a bone of a joint of a patient, the patient specific reference guide having a three-dimensional inner surface preoperatively configured to mate and closely nest to a corresponding surface of the bone only in one position, wherein mounting the patient specific reference guide on a bone of a joint of a patient includes mounting the reference guide on a femoral head surface of the patient, and wherein the reference guide is configured for mating with the femoral head surface of the patient; coupling a housing of a numerically-controlled instrument to a connecting portion coupled to an outer surface of the reference guide; automatically registering the numerically controlled instrument to the bone by coupling the housing to the reference guide and without intraoperative computer-aided navigation; coupling a cutting tool to the housing; guiding the cutting tool along a patient-specific tool path using the numerically-controlled instrument while the housing is mounted to the reference guide, the patient-specific tool path determined preoperatively and stored in the numerically-controlled instrument; and preparing a portion of the bone using the cutting tool.