Tamil Nadu   

Computer-aided surgery improves joint replacement

M. Dinesh Varma

It is helping doctors perform minimally invasive surgeries

CHENNAI: Orthopaedicians now have more technology backup with `Computer Assisted Surgery' vastly improving the outcome of joint replacement surgeries.

Real-time computer imaging is helping them perform minimally invasive surgeries in procedures, which are being increasingly sought by patients in the age group 35 to 40 these days.

"The better the aligning and anchoring of the implant, the better the results and longevity of the device," said M. Madan Mohan Reddy, trauma consultant and orthopaedic surgeon, Apollo Hospitals.

And, devices these days come with much better degree of flexion and implant-friendly designs that provide implantees near-normal functioning — in other words all activity to be expected realistically at a patient's age.

The precision achieved through real-time computer imaging also helps surgeons cut down tissue trauma and blood loss during the operation. An added benefit is the extension of longevity of the implants from an average of 5-10 years to 15-20 years.

Ratio

Damage to joints can occur due to osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis. The men-women patient ratio is 4:1 for rheumatoid arthritis and 2:1 for osteoarthritis. Apollo hospitals alone perform between 300 and 400 joint replacements (mainly hip and knee).

"During the post-operative phase, it is as if the patient rediscovers himself," said A. Navaladi Shankar, specialist, joint replacement, at Apollo Hospitals. The absence of pain is the biggest relief. From day one after surgery, the patient is encouraged to walk with the help of an aide and later with a walking stick.

Doctors recommend exercises to strengthen muscles around the joint for about 20 days and after a month, the patient is able to walk independently.

According to doctors, patients with severe arthritis, the gravity of which is determined by the pain quotient, find their normal life routine seriously disrupted. Initial management strategy involves a combination of medicine, mild exercise and lifestyle changes. However, an estimated 10 per cent of the patient population fail to respond to these measures and for this category, surgery is inevitable.

A not so uncommon type of arthritis seen these days is Gouty arthritis, where deposits of a byproduct of uric acid gradually disintegrate the joint tissues. In a typical case, a 48-year-old man patient from Assam, who had suffered agony for over seven years, was successfully provided a joint replacement.

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