Computer-Assisted Total Knee Surgery

Speedier recovery and less pain with a modern surgical technique.

There are an estimated 60 million baby boomers in America who are over 60 years old — and every year, almost half a million of them need a total knee replacement. The wear and tear of an active life has led to degenerative arthritis in their knee joints. Ultimately, they will need a knee replacement, but how they get that replacement can determine if it lasts for a long time or not, and if they can recover more quickly than the older, more conventional way of operating.

The “old way:” more pain, slower recovery

The conventional way of performing total knee surgery involves a larger open incision over the knee joint. To ensure accurate cuts in the bone to resect arthritic deformity and make way for the prosthesis, the surgeon drives long intramedullary rods up the femur, and sometimes down the tibia, in an effort to determine an accurate plane for cutting the bone. This leads to more blood loss and a longer incision and may have slight potential for inaccuracy.

The new, better way

Computer-assisted surgery (CAS) allows a computer with infrared lighting to “see” the knee joint, accurately measure it, and assist the surgeon in making accurate bone cuts for a more precise fitting of the total knee prosthesis. Because the surgeon doesn’t have to drill a large rod up the femur, research shows there is nearly one unit less of blood loss.  

The need for a blood transfusion is very rare in CAS. The incision can be slightly smaller, with less blood loss so there is less pain and a more rapid recovery. Also, because the prosthesis goes in much more accurately, it is simpler to obtain the range-of-motion for the knee a little more easily.

The new standard for total knee replacement

Conventional total knee surgery is still quite accurate, and generally regarded as a “gold standard” for today’s surgeons. But CAS for total knee replacement is rapidly becoming the standard of the future. Doctors at Orthopedics International have been at the forefront of developing CAS techniques.