Patent ID: 6755865
Filing Date: 2004-06-29
Classification: A61B,A61F

Abstract:
A method for installing a joint prosthesis, comprising the steps of:preparing a patient for surgery, the patient having a femur, the femur having a neck and a head, the patient further having a hip bone, said hip bone having a surface and an acetabulum formed thereon, and the acetabulum having a geometric center; aligning the patient's body so that a longitudinal axis extending through the neck and head of the femur of the patient passes generally through the geometric center of the acetabulum of the patient, the longitudinal axis extending outwardly from the head and through the neck of the femur defining a point on the femur at which the longitudinal axis exits the femur; making an incision to expose the femur generally at the point at which the longitudinal axis exits the femur; boring a hole through the femur; inserting an expandable drill bit into the hole in the femur and removing at least a major portion of the head of said femur, said drill bit having blades that are expandable; inserting said expandable drill bit beyond said hole in said femur, expanding said blades of said expandable drill bit, and advancing said expandable drill bit until said blades of said expandable drill bit remove a portion of the acetabulum of said patient; contracting the blades of said expandable drill bit and removing said expandable drill bit from the hole in the femur; inserting a segmented first shell through the hole in the femur; attaching said segmented first shell to the hip bone of the patient; inserting a cup through the hole in said femur and mounting said cup in said segmented first shell; inserting a shaft into the hole through the femur, said shaft having a first end and a ball on said first end of said shaft, said ball being sized and configured to be received by said cup, said shaft being inserted into the hole in the femur until said ball is received by said cup for movement therein; and closing said incision.