Patent ID: 8137347

Claim:
A method of repairing a fracture in or adjacent a long bone, which fracture produces a bone fragment either partly or completely detached from the long bone, comprising: securing a main body of an external fixator assembly such that a longitudinal axis of the main body extends generally parallel to the long bone on one side of the long bone and external to the patient's tissue, the external fixator assembly further comprising an outrigger which extends from the main body generally transversely to the longitudinal axis of the main body, the outrigger being supported by the main body such that the outrigger cantilevers from the main body over the fracture external to the patient's tissue, the outrigger being adapted to carry at least one fragment pin support; changing the number of fragment pin supports carried by the outrigger without removing the outrigger from the main body; and placing a fragment pin into the bone fragment, and using the outrigger and the fragment pin support to secure the fragment pin relative to the main body.