Dr Ramneek Mahajan
Ageing it seemed had hit a decade early Neelam, who celebrated her 52nd birthday couple of months back. Nagging pain in her knees and back during walking, standing and even sitting on floor for daily pooja had become a part of life, it seemed.
But as the pain progressed, performing basic household chores and daily grocery shopping at local mart seemed like an uphill task. Doctors told her that her knees were giving way due to arthritis and needed to be replaced. Not sure of surgery success, Neelamwas too anxious to undergo knife.
After meeting the author of this write up she was advised to go for Navigation based knee surgery. And today she is again living a normal life.
Computer assisted joint replacement combines precision and accuracy of computer technology with the surgeon’s skill and delivers the best possible patient outcomes. It is a less invasive procedure compared to traditionaljoint replacement and reduces blood loss, patient’s hospital stay and post procedure pain and recovery period.
Navigation based knee surgery helps address the challenges posed by traditional knee replacement surgery as it minimises surgical risk and reduces chances of infection. It enables more accurate alignment thereby enhancing the life of implant. The technology is specifically helpful in complicated cases where patient has tumour, previous fractures or deformity. Navigating though all these challenges is far easier with this technology.
Correct alignment of artificial implant is very important in knee replacement surgery. While in conventional knee replacement surgery, some instruments need to be pierced right through the thigh bone to determine the correct angle for implant positioning, with computer navigation system, surgeons take this decision with help of computer. It does not require cutting and drilling of thigh bone for the same. Therefore, computer navigation based surgery is less invasive and significantly reduces the chance of any error. As the implant alignment is more accurate, it’s wear rate reduces and life of implant is enhanced.
Navigation based knee surgery is a significant and exciting breakthrough in orthopedics space. It is like on-board computers in new age cars that give driving directions using satellite navigation systems. Just like drivers get driving directions with great degree of precision, speed and accuracy, not attainable with a map and compass, Navigation system offers visual mapping of patient’s anatomy or bone structure that helps the surgeon make crucial decisions before and throughout the knee replacement operation.
Computer Navigation system, which is a less invasive knee replacement procedure helps in reduced blood loss, lesser pain and faster recovery as some of major surgical steps are eliminated.
(The author is Director of Orthopedics and Joint Replacement, Max smart Hospital in New Delhi)
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