US Patent 7857814 Methods and apparatus for minimally invasive arthroplasty

A cutting tool for creating resected surfaces of bone during arthroplasty procedures has a single offset handle arm that presents a narrower effective width than a width of the cutting profile of the cutting tool along a longitudinal axis of the cutting profile. Preferably, the single offset handle arm creates a cutting tool with a generally L-shaped outline simultaneously accounting for soft tissue/incision geometry and bony geometry to accommodate both in facilitating ease of use and minimal displacement of soft tissue during cutting. The cutting tool can be snaked into position through an incision approximately the size of the width of the handle arm, instead of requiring an incision that is essentially the width of the cutting path of the cutting tool. In alternate embodiments, the cutting tool is a milling tool, a wireplasty cutting tool, a band saw or reciprocating cutting tool.