When patients with chronic knee pain don’t respond to anti-inflammatory drugs or physical therapy, the next step is often knee surgery. In traditional knee replacement, the knee is cut open and the damaged joints are replaced with implants that help restore continued motion. However, certain patients may not need this surgery to regain their knee function. Those with damage in only one part of the knee may benefit from a minimally invasive procedure called partial knee resurfacing.
According to the Florida Knee and Orthopedic Centers, partial knee resurfacing first emerged in the early 1970s. The procedure targets only the section of the knee that is damaged, while sparing the healthy bone and tissue around it. The implant is smaller than those used in total knee replacement. Proponents of the procedure say that partial knee resurfacing provides shorter recovery times and improved post-surgical knee function for the patient.
Partial knee resurfacing is one of many procedures that will be discussed at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) 2009 Annual Meeting, which takes place on February 25-28 in Las Vegas. Organizers expect over 14,000 orthopedic surgeons from around the world to be present to view product demonstrations, attend educational programming, and speak with company representatives. Among the 400-plus companies presenting is MAKO Surgical Corp., which will unveil the next generation of its robotic arm system and implants used for MAKOplasty, their partial knee resurfacing procedure.
In MAKOplasty, surgeons use the company’s FDA-approved Robotic Arm Interactive Orthopedic System (RIO) to resurface the damaged portion of the knee through a small keyhole incision. An implant is secured in the joint to allow the knee to move smoothly again. The RIO system makes MAKOplasty available to a larger population of patients. Previously, it was only possible to perform the surgery on the inner portion of the knee. With RIO, patients can now have MAKOplasty performed on the top portion, or on both compartments of the knee, opening up the surgery to a growing pool of patients with early to mid-stage osteoarthritis. The RIO system uses patient-specific, three-dimensional computer modeling for pre-surgical planning. During the procedure, a robotic arm aided by a computer navigation system enables the surgeon to accurately place the implant within the knee. According to the company, the benefits of MAKOplasty include an improved patient lifestyle, less implant wear and loosening, faster recovery, and less scarring.
Other knee-reconstruction and implant companies that will be exhibiting at AAOS include Corin, Zimmer, Stryker, and Biomet.