Computer Navigation for Toal Knee Replacement

Total knee replacement surgery is indicated for the relief pain and to restore function in a knee significantly damaged by arthritis or an injury when non-surgical treatments have failed. The procedure involves replacing the damaged surfaces of the articulating bones with artificial (metal and plastic) implants. Inevitably, most of these implants will wear with use over time. The risk of needing for revision surgery is clearly and obviously higher in young and active people, where the implant has to last the lifetime of the patient. The life of the implant may be extended by more precise alignment of the component parts, and this may be achieved by the use of computer navigation assistance for total knee replacement surgery.

The technique of computer navigation provides the surgeon with real time 3-dimensional images of the mapped patient’s knee and the surgical instruments during live surgery. The data for the images is provided by sensors (infrared) that are fixed to the bones of the knee and to the surgical instruments. A camera placed above the surgical table connected to the computer tracks their position. The computer than generates the real time images with the help of the appropriate software to guide the surgeon to precisely cut the bones of the knee and fix the implant precisely & accurately according to the pre-operative surgical plan. 

The procedure is performed by the surgeon only. Computer navigation is just an assistive tool to guide the surgeon and improve the positioning of the knee implants and potentially the longer-term outcome of the surgery. It cannot, however, replace the skills of an experienced surgeon.