COMPUTER NAVIGATION IN TOTAL KNEE REPLACEMENT

Today total knee replacement is the most common and successful surgery performed throughout the world. Recent innovations have improved both early and long term results. The most recent is the use of computer navigation guiding the surgeon to implantation. This technique enables the surgeon to improve his precision ensuring that zero percent human errors are there. Such precision and technology ultimately ensures improved long term performance of knee implants.

The Surgical Technique:

In this system the patient’s specific anatomy is stipulated and displayed on a computer during surgery. Computer provides information about where to place components for proper alignment. The computer detects and quantifies the deformities and bone loss. With inputs from the surgeon, the computer guides the changes made in the bone cuts and ligaments, balancing to get a correct mechanical axis and adjact position of the implant. This provides the ability for the patient to regain maximum function and ensures long term survival of the implant.

Advantages of computer assisted surgery:

1. Surgery can be performed through smaller incisions and minimal soft tissue stripping. This results in less blood loss and early return to normal life.
2. There is less blood loss.
3. There are fewer chances of complications and infections
4. Shorter hospital stay.
5. Faster recovery and easy rehabilitation.
6. This system provides accurate mechanical axis restoration which is the key towards success of total knee replacement.
7. Bone cuts and ligament balancing which is the most difficult and ‘subjective’ part of knee replacement can be quantified to near perfection. This ultimately improves patient early and long term results.
8. In case where there is extra articular deformity or earlier placed Nails or Plates surgeons cannot use conventional technique. In those cases computer navigation is the only solution.

Computer Navigation accuracy can help the surgeon decrease the percentage of ‘outliers’ and the overall result can be achieved to near perfection.