Virtual knee surgery, The importance of custom fitting

Many people find it necessary to have a knee replacement surgery at some point of their life. This procedure is normally performed in patients with severe knee related pain or mobility issues UN responsive for other conventional treatments. The medical tourism has made knee replacement a reality for many patients, who otherwise could not afford it. The latest advancements in minimally invasive surgeries have greatly reduced the surgery associated complications.

The conventional knee replacement surgery makes use of pre determined prosthetics to retro-fit the patient's knee during the surgery. While it might work for some, it has its shortcomings. The latest advances in technology would enable the custom fit knee replacement. This was hailed by many medical professionals as an important advancement in the field of knee replacement.

The importance of custom fitting:

It is important to note that no two patient's knees are similar. Today the latest technology enables us to recreate the knee digitally by taking advantage of 3-D image mapping. Further considerations during this process include patient gender, age, mechanical alignment, weight ratio and bone structure. This would ensure a perfect fit compared approximation in a conventional knee replacement. This latest custom knee replacement technology ensures a perfect instrumentation system that virtually replicates the patient's knee. This would result in lesser pain and faster mobilization. This technique also reduces the operation time by roughly half and results in a significantly less tissue damage.

1) Knee Evaluation: The knee is evaluated as component of whole body. The entire leg will undergo a CT scan. (From hip to ankle). The other factors such as bone structure, age, weight and gender are given due consideration. This data is then used to create a highly advanced 3-dimentional image of the leg and its structure.

2) Programming and planning: With the above 3-D image, an anatomical model is then created to evaluate the mechanical alignment. This is the core step of the entire process. The surgery is then planned after virtual instrumentation.

3) Creating the customized knee: The custom-fit knee parts are then manufactured to exacting standards in dedicated state of the art facilities. They are produced to very tight tolerances. The patient's name and medical data are also etched on to each component to aid in verification and cross checking during the surgery.

4) Custom-fitting the knee: During the surgery, while the customized knee in place, the bone is carved to the exacting specifications to ensure a perfect fit. This crucial step would eliminate the need for future revision surgery. This surgery is expected to last for about an hour.

The advantages of this procedure include better range of motion, improved alignment, lesser pain, smaller incision and faster recovery. The precision matching ensures a longer life for the custom fit knee.