Patent ID: 8876830

Claim:
A virtual implant placement system for determining a first cut plane to resect a first bone, the first bone and a second bone being part of a joint, the system comprising: a first tracking assembly adapted to be supported by the first bone and operable to generate a first position data corresponding to a plurality of first positions of the first tracking assembly as the joint is articulated; a second tracking assembly adapted to be supported by the second bone and operable to generate a second position data; a first implant model of a first implant, the first implant model linked to the first tracking assembly, the first implant model having at least two versions; a second model of one of a second implant and the second bone, the second model linked to the second tracking assembly; and a processing device determining the first cut plane by: digitally linking at least a first version of the first implant model to the first bone to construct a virtual joint defining a relationship between articulating surfaces of the first implant model and the second model; modelling a movement of the virtual joint based on movements of the first bone relative to the second bone based on a tracking of the first and the second tracking assemblies; repeating the digitally linking and the modelling with a second version of the first implant model; and determining the first cut plane based on a selected version of the first implant model, the first position data, the second model, and the second position data through said movement of the virtual joint; and a viewing device displaying data related to the first cut plane.