A
system and method for aligning a patient's leg, for establishing the ultimate alignment of the leg prior to making a horizontal femoral
cut or a horizontal tibial
cut, for preparing the
distal femur for receiving a femoral
implant, and for making the horizontal, femoral and tibial cuts. The
system and method incorporate a spacer, a
cutting guide, and a template. The spacer is insertable between a
distal femur and a
proximal tibia to rotate the
tibia with respect to the
femur into the desired alignment. The
cutting guide is engageable with the spacer, and can be fixed to the
proximal tibia and the
distal femur. The
cutting guide has openings sized and shaped to guide a
surgical saw to make the horizontal femoral
cut and the horizontal tibial cut. The template is shaped to closely conform with the distal
femur to allow the leg to be extended and to allow the procedure to be performed without dislocating a patella. Through one method of the present invention, the practitioner can select the desired ultimate alignment of the leg prior to making the horizontal, tibial and femoral cuts. As a result, when a replacement knee is implanted, the leg will be in the desired alignment.