Importance

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Abstract

A jig is detachably secured to the proximal end of an installed intramedullary nail having a transverse bolt hole near the distal end of the nail. The jig comprises an offsetting arm which so mounts the proximal part of hinged elongate template structure as to render the distal part thereof angularly movable in a geometric plane substantially parallel to the nail. One or more spaced guide bores near the distal end of the movable distal part is on an axis perpendicular to the geometric plane. When the jig is chucked to the nail, the axes of the one or more guide bores of the template are parallel to the axes of one or more bolt holes of the nail; and corresponding guide-bore axis and bolt-hole axes are at identical distance from the offsetting arm. The distal end of the template is adapted to removably mount a metal-detector establishing a magnetic field about a directional axis, such that the metal-detector can be scanned on one side and then the other side of a central position in which the directional axis of the detector locally intersects the axis of the nail. Associated electronic circuitry takes note of template positions at which equal detector signals occur on opposite sides of the central position has been achieved, and a microprocessor component of the circuitry automatically calculates and displays a value representative of the calculated 'center' position.

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First Claim