Patent ID: 7517365

Claim:
A method of installing a replacement device to the trochlear groove of a patient's femur, comprising the steps of: providing a custom-made replacement device made from a model of a distal end of a patient's femur and having a bottom side that substantially matching the actual trochlear groove of a patella articulating surface of the individual patient's femur, wherein the bottom side of the replacement device has a pin at a predetermined location; providing a marking template made from the model and having a back side being substantially custom formed to match the actual trochlear groove of the patient's femur, wherein the marking template has an opening corresponding to the predetermined location of the pin; removing the cartilage from the distal end of the femur; positioning the marking template about the femur substantially similar to the desired installed position of the replacement device; drilling a hole on the distal end of the femur through the opening of the marking template; removing the marking template from the femur; and inserting the pin of the replacement device into the hole of the femur to install the replacement device on the desired location of the femur.