Knee Replacements Get Personal With Custom Fit @ by Joseph Vernace, M.D. (NAPSA)—While they mayall look similar, no two knees are exactly alike. In fact, a recent clinical study of 180 normal knees showed that 98 percent were either bowlegged or knock-kneed =m by up to a few degrees. Even slight variations in the way a knee implant | * fits can lead to tight9 5 ness, instability and mmmn POtentially shorter | implantlife. A numberof joint Dr. Joseph replacement techVernace nologies have been developed to address the differences in knee anatomy. One technology that has shownsignificant promise is called Custom Fit Knee™ Replacement, or OtisKnee”™. Custom Fit Knee Replacement allows the surgeon to match the size and placement of the knee implant precisely to the patient’s pre-arthritic knee anatomy. Based on more than 5,000 patient cases, physicians and patients have reported quicker and less painful recovery, increased range of motion, a more natural feeling knee, and greater ease in performing normalliving activities. The new, custom procedure is achieved in a few steps: 1. Prior to surgery, an MRIis performed to take very precise measurements of the patient’s arthritic knee. 2. Proprietary computer software then creates a 3-D image of that knee, and then virtually cor- rects the deformity to return the kneeto its pre-arthritic state. 3. Acomputerized 3-D image of the implant to be used in the patient’s surgery is then “shapematched” to the anatomically correct virtual knee model. This helps determine the correct implant size and placement, based on the patient’s own normal (nonarthritic) knee anatomy. 4. Using all this information, special cutting guides are created for the surgeon to use during the procedure. These patient-specific cutting guides, accurate to within a few millimeters, indicate to the surgeon exactly where to make bone cuts so that the knee replacement is customized for the individual patient. With the OtisKnee cutting guides, surgeons are able to preserve more bone and ligaments, allowing for better implantfit and alignment. The surgery itself is shorter and simpler than traditional knee replacement, requiring the patient to spend less time under anesthesia. Physicians also report less patient blood loss since adopting the custom fit technique. As with any medical treatment, be sure to consult your physician about the approach that might be best for you. For more information, visit www.customfitknee.com or call (888) 684-7633. Dr. Vernace is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon who is a member of the medical staff at Bryn Mawr Hospital and practices at Main Line Orthopaedics in Bryn Mawr, Pa. wane nnn n eee eee eee eee eee OWEe een Note to Editors: May is Osteoarthritis Awareness Month
