US Patent 8092465 Patient specific knee alignment guide and associated method

A method of preparing a joint for a prosthesis in a patient. The method includes obtaining scan data associated with the joint of the patient, preparing a three-dimensional image of the joint based on the scan data, preparing an interactive initial surgical plan based on the scan data, sending the surgical plan to a surgeon, receiving a finalized surgical plan from the surgeon, and preparing an image of a patient-specific alignment guide.