Apparatus and method for guiding a surgical drill during orthopedic surgery

A method for inserting screws in holes in intramedullary (IM) nails comprising providing a surgical drill which in turn comprises a drill bit having an axis and two or more radiopaque circles on the drill, the circles having the same diameter and having planes which are parallel to each other and have an imaginary axis through them which is parallel to the axis of the drill bit, and confirming the alignment of the drill bit with the hole in the IM nail by adjusting the location and orientation of the drill to correspond to a position wherein the two or more radiopaque circles on the drill form a perfect circle in an x-ray image taken by a C-arm which has previously been aligned with a hole in the IM nail. The circles can be part of the drill and can flip out or be retracted or they can be part of a clip on device.