Patent ID: 8271066

Claim:
A method of determining a surgical patient's pelvic position and inputting that position into a computer via a tracking system, suitable for use in navigating partial or total hip replacement surgery, comprising the steps of: aligning the patient in relation to a patient positioning frame with pelvic anatomical features of the patient disposed in secure mechanical relationship with corresponding locating features on said positioning frame; acquiring with a tracking system the positions of a plurality of index points, wherein each of said index points is respectively disposed at a previously known displacement relative to a corresponding one of said locating features; and defining a pelvic plane by calculation from the acquired positions of said index points, said calculation including: compensating for the previously known displacement of each said index point relative to its corresponding locating feature, thereby finding the locations of said locating features from the acquired positions of said index points; and defining a plane from the calculated positions of the locating features, such that said pelvic plane is defined based on the locations of said pelvic anatomical features disposed in said secure mechanical relationship with said corresponding locating features.