Patent ID: 8801719

Claim:
A method of manufacturing a custom arthroplasty jig for use in an arthroplasty procedure on a damaged bone of a patient, the method comprising: obtaining a medical image of a selected region of the damaged bone of the patient; using a computer processor to analyze the medical image to provide at least first, second and third location coordinate values for each of a selected sequence of surface point locations on the selected region of the damaged bone, the surface point locations corresponding to a surface shape of the selected region; using the computer processor to construct a bone surface computer model including the surface shape of the selected region of the damaged bone by: selecting a sequence of one or more polygons defined by the sequence of surface point locations, the polygons defining the surface shape of the selected region in the bone surface computer model; and performing at least one of a point-to-point mapping or a surface normal vector mapping to construct the bone surface computer model; and using the bone surface computer model to generate, via the computer processor, computer-readable automated instructions for a production machine to fabricate, before any incision in the patient, the custom arthroplasty jig configured for cutting and removing at least a portion of the selected region of the damaged bone, the custom arthroplasty jig including a patient specific mating surface that matches the surface shape of the selected region in the bone surface computer model such that the custom arthroplasty jig is capable of mating with the selected region of the damaged bone in only a single orientation during the arthroplasty procedure, wherein the custom arthroplasty jig is configured such that, when the surface shape of the selected region of the damaged bone is matingly received in the patient specific mating surface, cutting the damaged bone with a cutting instrument guided by the custom arthroplasty jig provides at least one selected planar surface in the damaged bone that has a preoperatively planned alignment with a selected axis of the damaged bone.