Patent ID: 8454619

Claim:
A method for properly orienting a prosthetic socket in a bone cavity of a patient, said method comprising the following steps in the sequence set forth: (a) establishing a reference guide providing a baseline reference with respect to the patient; (b) removing unwanted bone material from said bone cavity under guidance of a guide, wherein said guide is used to guide an orientation of a reamer during said removing to provide a prepared bone cavity for properly orienting said prosthetic socket; (c) orienting a trial in said bone cavity, wherein said trial includes a central drill guide channel and said orienting comprises drilling a peg positioning bore into said bone corresponding to said guide channel, said drill guide channel adapted to define an angle of said peg positioning bore being drilled into said bone; (d) placing a guide piece, according to the orientation of said trial, in a bone proximate to said bone cavity, when said trial is in a desired position by fitting a drill guide into said peg positioning bore, wherein said drill guide has a cannulated tube and a cannulated sleeve, and inserting said guide piece through said cannulated tube of said drill guide into said proximate bone, wherein the angle in which said guide piece is placed into said bone is defined by the position of said drill guide in said peg positioning bore; and (e) orienting said prosthetic socket into said bone cavity using said guide piece's position and alignment for guidance, wherein a cannulated portion of a peg is adapted to fit over said guide piece and, wherein at least one of said removing unwanted bone material from bone cavity, said orienting said trial, said placing said guide piece, and said orienting said prosthetic socket is performed using reference to said reference guide, wherein at least one visual guide is used to aid in positioning and aligning of at least one of said reference guide, said drill guide, said reamer, said trial and said prosthetic socket, wherein said at least one visual guide comprises a tilt sensor device.