Abstract: A method and related instruments are provided for the preparation, stabilization and fusion of the middle and distal phalanx bones in the finger. The method includes the steps of cutting the head of the middle phalanx to form one side of a miter joint and drilling a guide bore through both bones. The adjacent end of the distal phalanx is smoothed using a rotary disk with a center guide post to create the opposing side of the miter joint. A fixation plate is secured to the top of the finger and includes a positioning tube that extends into the guide bore. A screw assembly extends through the tube and into the bones to provide a compressive force across the miter joint. The preferred apparatus includes a combination drill template/saw guide for drilling the guide bore and cutting the middle phalanx, a rotatable disk for smoothing the distal phalanx and a screw assembly having spirally expanding strands at its distal end for anchoring the assembly in the distal phalanx.

Abstract: A multi-plane curvilinear saw, corresponding guide and related method are provided for shaping the end of a bone that forms one member of a joint, such as a bone in a digit. The finished end is hemispherical in shape so as to better engage the mating bone end. The saw includes a hollow, hemispherically shaped body with a row of arcuately disposed cutting teeth along an exposed edge of the front, and an open rear portion. A shank extends from the other side of the body for attachment to the chuck of a hand piece with a high-speed oscillating motion. The guide is formed from an elongated inverted channel with parallel curved slots in a terminal portion. The curvature of the slots corresponds to the curvature of the saw and the row of cutting teeth. The method includes the steps of securing the guide to the top of the digit above the joint and oscillating the saw, pitching forward and slightly tilting within the guide slots to shape and finish the bone end.