What You Need To Know About New Advances In Hip & Knee Replacement Surgery
Knee and hip replacement surgeries have been the preferred treatment method for many patients suffering from severely damaged joints due to arthritis or injury for years. In fact, these surgical interventions are only going to get more popular, with knee replacement surgeries projected to grow to 3.5 million procedures per year by 2030!
Based on most joint registry data, more than 90% of modern total knee replacements are still functioning well 15 years after the surgery. The high success rate, coupled with benefits that outweigh the risks, is probably one of the reasons why these procedures are highly recommended for suitable patients.
At the same time, new advances in knee and hip replacement surgeries over the years have helped patients to achieve more optimal results and a shorter recovery time.
Here is what you need to know about the improvements in knee and hip replacement surgery in Singapore.
Robotic-assisted surgery
What is it?
Performed similarly to a traditional knee or hip replacement surgery, robotic-assisted surgery involves advanced imaging of your affected joint, and inputting this data into a robot. The surgeon then plans your surgery based on the images, and uses a robotic arm or handheld instrument communicating with the robot to make individualised and precise bony cuts based on your joint anatomy.
This allows your orthopaedic surgeon to perform the procedure with greater precision by accurately preserving the healthy bone in the joint, while removing any damaged tissue. The robot will also guide the placement of the knee or hip implants in the correct position. The end result is a better balance of the soft tissues around your knee or hip and alignment of the joint.
There is no need for you to prepare differently if you are undergoing a robotic-assisted knee or hip replacement surgery.
What are the benefits?
- Greater accuracy of surgery
A robotic-assisted surgery enhances your orthopaedic surgeon’s precision, resulting in more accurate bony cuts and better implant positioning. These contribute to the new joint feeling more natural, with better patient satisfaction and early functional outcomes.
- Less trauma to the surgical site
Robotic-assisted surgery allows the orthopaedic surgeon to more effectively plan the surgery, including the soft tissue balance and bone cuts, so only the affected tissue needs to be resected. This potentially leads to less surgical trauma, reduced blood loss, and shorter hospitalisation, with potentially faster recovery.
- Longer-lasting results
Accurate implant positioning and limb alignment helps to reduce wear and loosening, and may play a role in improving the longevity of your new joint replacement.
Patient-specific instrumentation
What is it?
Patient-specific instrumentation (PSI) utilises a modern technique to achieve accurate implant positioning and limb alignment so as to improve the results of both hip and knee replacement surgeries.
PSI is able to achieve precision through customised cutting blocks designed from 3D models generated using CT or MRI scans of the affected joint. Pre-operative planning will be done to finalise the sizing, alignment and bone cutting, before fabricating the cutting blocks and/or implants.
What are the benefits?
- Shorter surgical time
PSI helps your orthopaedic surgeon to reduce surgical time since the exact positioning and alignment of the implant are decided on before the surgery. The customized cutting blocks avoid the need for pins to be inserted into the bone as required in navigation or robotic procedures, while simplifying the instrumentation required for the surgery. Although the operating time will still largely depend on your surgeon’s skills and other factors such as anaesthesia, it has been found that the average operative time for PSI is 24 minutes shorter than conventional total knee arthroplasty.
- Longer-lasting results
The customized cutting blocks in PSI allow more accurate bony cuts and guide optimal implant sizing and positioning, allowing better limb alignment. This potentially makes your new joint feel more natural, reduces wear and tear, and improves the longevity of your joint replacement.
Find out more about your knee and hip replacement options
Dr Poh Seng Yew, an orthopaedic surgeon in Singapore, is well-versed in both traditional and new advances in knee and hip replacement surgeries.
Speak with him to find out more about your condition and the most appropriate treatment for your needs.