Patent ID: 7846165
Filing Date: 2010-12-07
Classification: A61B

Abstract:
1. A wire cutting system for resecting a bone through incisions of the type utilized for arthroscopic procedures, the system comprising: a first alignment pin configured to be inserted through one of the incisions into a bone in a first orientation; a second alignment pin configured to be inserted through one of the incisions into the bone in a second orientation; a wire saw; and a guide block formed to include a first guide hole extending through the block, the first guide hole being sized to receive a drill sized to form a hole in the bone, the hole sized to receive the first alignment pin, wherein the first alignment pin and the second alignment pin are configured and oriented to define a resection surface of reference through which the bone is to be resected and the wire saw is configured to be inserted through at least one of the incisions and for extending at least from the first alignment pin to the second alignment pin to be simultaneously guided by the first and second alignment pins while being moved to resect the bone, wherein the first alignment pin has a length sufficient that the first alignment pin can extend completely through the bone with a first tip that can extend beyond the bone on a first side and a second tip that can extend beyond the bone on an opposite side of the bone, and the second alignment pin has a length sufficient that the second alignment pin can extend completely through the bone with a third tip that can extend beyond the bone on the first side and a fourth tip that can extend beyond the bone on the opposite side, wherein the resection surface of reference is a plane, and wherein the guide block is formed to include a first saw guide and a second saw guide said first and second saw guides being positioned to guide the wire saw along the resection plane of reference when the wire saw is received in the first and second saw guides.