Patent ID: 8303596

Claim:
A method for positioning and/or attaching a device to a patient, the device comprising first and second rotatable adjusting elements supported with respect to the jig for rotation about respective axes, the first and second adjusting elements each including an excentric bushing having a center axis offset from the respective axis of the respective adjusting element, and first and second fixing elements extending through the excentric bushings of the first and second adjusting elements respectively and attached to the body of the patient, the fixing elements being rotatably constrained within the respective excentric bushing, comprising the steps: (a) providing a pre-calibrated device connected to or bearing a reference array; (b) inserting a positioning tool into a joint space between a first bone and a second bone of the patient; (c) rotatably attaching the device to the positioning tool; (d) rotating the device around a second rotation axis determined by the positioning tool; (e) fixing the device to the patient thereby defining a first rotation axis by inserting the first fixing element through a first one of the excentric bushings; (f) rotating the device around the first rotation axis by rotating the device around the first fixing element; (g) fixing the device to the patient via a fixing point which is not on the first rotation axis by inserting the second fixing element through a second one of the excentric bushings; and (h) rotating the first and second adjusting elements uniformly to effect translating movement of a resection plane of the jig, and rotating at least one of the first or second adjusting elements non-uniformly with respect to the other to effect rotating movement of the resection plane of the jig.