Patent ID: 8753394

Claim:
A method of inserting an implant into a joint comprising the steps of; providing an optical guide unit that is configured as an optical guide wire and including a hollow elongate shaft with proximal and distal ends and lumen optical fiber within a lumen of the hollow elongate shaft and extending from the proximal and distal ends, the optical guide unit having a proximal end of the lumen optical fiber optically couplable to a light source and a visualization device; locating the joint by: selecting a joint, inserting a needle into the joint, inserting said distal end of the optical guide unit into the joint with the needle, removing the needle from the joint so as to retain the distal end of the optical guide unit within the joint, illuminating the joint with light emitting from the distal end of the lumen optical fiber, and visualizing said joint that is illuminated with light from the distal end of said optical guide unit by viewing the joint through the visualization device on the proximal end; providing a perforated implant having an implant perforation; inserting said optical guide unit at least partially within said implant perforation, and; advancing said implant along said optical guide unit into the joint.