Return to the Table of Contents

Jefferson Live Webcast Will Bring Visitors into Virtual World of Computer Assisted, Partial Knee Replacement

Dr. Sharkey Dr. Rothman

Virtual reality is aiding orthopedic surgeons at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in replacing arthritis-stricken single compartments of a knee without the patient having to endure a long surgery and recovery involved with a total knee replacement. 

Computer-assisted, partial knee replacement makes it easier for orthopedic surgeons to replace diseased sections of the knee without performing a total knee replacement, says Peter F. Sharkey, MD, Associate Professor of Orthopedic Surgery, Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University. 

“Many doctors are reluctant to do one compartment of the knee because most people have arthritis in more than one section or throughout the entire knee,” notes Dr. Sharkey, who is also on staff at the Rothman Institute at Jefferson. “As a result, surgeons typically just do a total knee replacement.” 

Patients will have the chance to see this minimally-invasive procedure first-hand when Thomas Jefferson University Hospital hosts a webcast of the computer assisted partial knee replacement on Wednesday, May 4, at 4:30 p.m. at www.jeffersonhospital.org/webcast.

Dr. Sharkey will perform the procedure, which will be narrated by Richard Rothman, MD, Director of the Rothman Institute at Jefferson, and James Edwards Professor and Chair of Orthopedic Surgery, Jefferson. 

Greater Precision Now Possible
Traditionally, surgeons perform a total knee replacement when one or two of three compartments of the knee – the medial, the lateral and the patellofemoral – are stricken with arthritis, Dr. Sharkey explains. Typically, arthritis develops in the medial (the inner-joint surfaces of the long bones) or the patella femoral (the joint between the undersurface of the kneecap and the femur) compartments.

“We haven’t been able to do a selective implant in more than one compartment in the past, due to a lack of implants and instrumentation issues,” he says. 

With computer guidance, however, the surgeon can create a virtual and detailed image of the knee on a computer screen in order to place the implant precisely in a single compartment. 

“You get a full-scale picture of the knee,” Dr. Sharkey notes.

Computer-assisted surgery helps the surgeon lay the joint implant on the patient’s bones with greater precision, he adds.

Computer-assisted, partial knee replacement also utilizes specially designed implants made to resurface one side of the knee joint. 

The post-surgical recovery time for computer-assisted, partial knee replacement is about half the time of recovery for a total knee replacement three weeks, instead of the normal six. 

Top-Rated by U.S. News
U.S.News & World Report has ranked Thomas Jefferson University Hospital as the best hospital in Philadelphia and among the top 50 hospitals in the nation for orthopedics. 

In comparison to other medical centers around the nation with leading orthopedic programs, a high volume of knee replacement procedures is performed at Jefferson Hospital a total of approximately 2,000 annually. As a result, Jefferson Hospital has one of the shortest lengths of stay and lowest complication and readmission rates for the procedure. 

For more than a quarter of a century, Dr. Richard Rothman has dedicated his career to research, teaching and surgery. He has also worked toward realizing his vision of an institute, dedicated to the treatment of skeletal diseases, that is performing among the largest number of joint replacements in the city and nation. Dr. Rothman is regularly listed by national publications as one of the premier orthopedic surgeons, as well as one of the best doctors in the country. He has received numerous awards for his research contributions to the study of orthopedics, including U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved studies on hip replacements and arthritis of the hip. Dr. Rothman has also published extensively on his findings, and has 13 textbooks and more than 200 original research papers to his credit. 

Dr. Sharkey is an internationally recognized expert and leader in the field of complex hip and knee replacement, revision joint surgery and joint reconstruction. He is Director of the Thomas Jefferson University Hospital Orthopedic Surgery Residency Program and is a member of the American Orthopaedic Association, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the Hip Society. He is committed to orthopedic education and academic medicine and has published numerous scientific articles on joint replacement. 

Continuing Medical Education Credit
The webcast is approved for AMA PRA Category 1 credit. Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, as a member of the Consortium for Academic Continuing Medical Education, is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians. 

The webcast can be viewed on Wednesday, March 30, at 4:30 p.m. online at www.jeffersonhospital.org/webcast.