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Computer-Assisted, Partial Knee Replacement:
About the Procedure
Knees absorb a great deal of physical stress over the course of a lifetime. They move us, and cushion us, across many miles. They absorb countless impacts and may experience more significant injuries along the way, or may be subject to the effects of chronic conditions that contribute to their wear and tear. Osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, the influence of obesity or past athletic injuries, and other factors can disrupt the proper function of a knee.
By middle age, most people have at least some detectable arthritis in their knees. Ligaments may be damaged, cartilage that cushions the joint components may be worn away, and the spaces between different parts of the knee may be compressed, sometimes causing painful, bone-on-bone friction.
For some people these changes are minor, and may not pose a problem. For others, they are so severe as to make for a seriously compromised quality of life. With the aging of our population, an increasing number of people – many of them otherwise healthy – are undergoing or considering knee-joint replacement as the only curative option to save them from additional years of pain and debilitation.
The orthopedic and biomedical fields have been working steadily to improve the knee-replacement operation. Total replacement of the knee joint brings with it postoperative discomfort during healing and considerable rehabilitation time during recovery. Patients also have to adjust to having a completely mechanical joint. Surgeons have worked to address these factors, and one approach is to offer certain patients partial knee replacements.
While recovery from partial knee replacement is similar to that for total knee replacement, the partial operation is a less invasive form of surgery that results in a shorter recovery and a more natural feel and function to the knee. Until now, partial knee replacement has only been available to a small portion of patients, in part because of the technical challenge of precisely placing the implanted joint components in relation to the natural structures of the knee. Surgeons must confirm the orientation of the implants down to the millimeter.
Jefferson experts have worked with biomedical engineers to develop and test a computer system that creates an image of the exact position of the implant components within the knee during surgery. This sophisticated, spatial-reference system has been successful in producing exceptional surgical results for our patients. This development should give more orthopedic surgical groups the confidence to offer partial knee replacement. Our physicians have also worked with engineers to improve the implant components and reconstructive techniques themselves, which in turn has helped to make this surgery less invasive.
Patients who undergo partial knee replacement experience less postoperative discomfort, faster return to function, and more natural performance in their knee, compared to results available from total knee replacement. The computer-aided approach is an important step in making partial knee replacement available to a much larger portion of patients who require knee replacement.
If you are a physician and would like to refer a patient,
call 215-955-0215.
If you are a patient and would like to make an appointment or would
like more information, please call 1-800-JEFF-NOW.
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