News and Media

Computer Assisted Knee Replacement Surgery

Background

Computer assisted total knee replacement surgery performed at Canada Bay Private Hospital

Canada Bay Private Hospital is one of Sydney’s premier orthopaedic and reconstructive surgical hospital. The hospital has specialised in orthopaedic and reconstructive surgery for 30 years. The reasons for the hospitals success is the continued introduction of state of the art technology.

The new computer assisted surgery offers patients numerous benefits such as

• Eliminating the need for a rod into the canal of the femur to assess alignment of implant.
• The ability to see how the joint will fit before shaving the ends of the bone.
• Provides a quantitative measurement of joint flexibility during surgery. Traditionally this has been done by hand.

New Technology improves Knee Replacement Surgery

Professor Warwick Bruce and Dr Peter Walker two of Sydney’s leading orthopaedic surgeons recently introduced new image enhanced computer assisted total knee replacement surgery at Canada Bay Private Hospital.

“The number of people requiring total knee replacements will increase dramatically as the population ages. There are more than 25,000 total knee replacements performed each year in Australia. While in many respects this surgery has become routine, the image enhanced computer assisted process offers the potential for better, fit, alignment and ligament balance while exposing the patient to less risk”, said Professor Bruce.

“ Knee replacement surgery involves placing an implant in the knee. A rod is placed in the femur cutting jigs are attached to the rod. The surgeon then determines how much of the bone to remove. This new technology eliminates the need for the rod and the position of the jigs is determined by the computer. The placement of the implant is now measured more accurately by the imaging technology,” said Professor Bruce.

The new image enhanced computer assisted total knee replacement surgery performed at Canada Bay Private Hospital has a number of benefits over traditional surgery. The new technique is less invasive decreasing the risk of side effects and promises an improved fit, according to Dr Walker.

“The imaging software allows for onscreen mapping of landmarks around the knee, permitting accurate measurements and cuts. In addition, real time images of the instruments used in the surgery and the knee replacement itself can be super imposed over the bones on the screen. Using this new imaging software I am able to ascertain the fit and alignment of the new implants before making the first cut,” said Dr Walker.