Bone abnormalities are a relatively commonplace pathology that can require surgical intervention. For example, a CAM lesion L, shown in FIG. 1, is a type of excess bone growth that occurs on a femoral neck N of a femur F. The CAM lesion L reduces a range of motion of a head H of the femur F within an acetabulum A of a pelvis P, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. A normal range of motion of a normal femur F2 is shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The femeroacetabular impingement caused by the CAM lesion L can have serious consequences, such as soft tissue damage, pain, and inhibited lifestyle.
Surgical procedures for removing bone abnormalities such as CAM lesions are traditionally performed arthroscopically using a rotating burr to remove excess bone. The surgery is performed by waving the burr over the surface of the bone. To ensure that the burr does not deviate from a desired path, the surgeon must have a complete understanding of the geometry of the bone abnormality and of the curvature of the bone from which it is removed. Given the complex, curved geometry of the femoral neck and the variability among bone abnormalities, the requisite knowledge can be difficult to acquire prior to surgery and there can be an increased risk of accidental removal of normal bone and/or damage to surrounding soft tissue. The surgeon must therefore proceed slowly over a localized region of the bone, which can reduce the effectiveness and/or the efficiency of the procedure, and in some cases may still not effectively prevent the burr from removing normal bone and/or damaging soft tissue.
To lower risks associated with using a burr to remove bone, the surgeon traditionally must be able to view the bone being reshaped during surgery, e.g., by a camera, to ensure that only abnormal bone is removed. However, the camera must be repeatedly moved throughout the surgery to different positions in order to view the area being reshaped. This constant repositioning during the surgery can create inefficiency and/or can increase the risk of soft tissue damage by the camera and/or the surgical tools used to reposition the camera.
Accordingly, there remains a need for improved methods and devices for removing abnormalities from bone.