Patent ID: 8241286

Claim:
A method of implanting an internal fixation prosthesis in a patient during a surgical procedure for repairing a fractured bone, the method comprising: a. obtaining an instrument system comprising: i. a target wire; ii. a handle formed from a radio translucent material having a target hole for guided passage of the target wire along a target axis, whereby the target axis coincides with the intersection of a first plane and a second plane orthogonal to the first plane; iii. a nose component attached to an end of the handle and removably connectable to the prosthesis, the nose component including an alignment sight formed from a radio-opaque material; whereby when the prosthesis is connected to the nose component and the target wire is positioned through the target hole along the target axis, the image of the target wire may be radioscopically viewed along a first line of sight contained in the first plane to bisect the image of the alignment device, thereby providing a first visual reference to the user for directing the target wire into the desired portion of the bone while holding the prosthesis in a desired position relative to the bone; b. removably connecting the prosthesis to the nose component of the instrument system; c. initially positioning the prosthesis relative to the fractured bone; d. inserting the target wire into the target hole along the target axis; e. radioscopically obtaining the first visual reference; f. manipulating the instrument until the target wire is directed into a desired portion of the bone; g. inserting the target wire into a desired portion of the fractured bone; h. obtaining a cannulated drill; and i. drilling a pilot hole along the target axis into the bone to a desired depth into the desired portion of the fractured bone, wherein the pilot hole is sized for receiving the lag screw.