Doctors at Vadamalayan Hospitals in Madurai for the first time successfully performed an Artificial Intelligence (AI) enabled knee replacement surgery on a 58-year-old patient.
During a press meet, M. Baskar, Orthopedic Surgeon, who performed the surgery, said the patient on whom the surgery was performed suffered from severe arthritis resulting in significant deformity in the right knee joint.
“As knee replacement with AI technology assists surgeons by providing real time data, 3D imaging and perfect anatomical axis of the limb, it enabled an unparalleled level of precision during surgery,” Dr. Baskar added.
Further, it helps in providing prosthesis alignment, better functional outcome and long-term durability of implants, he said.
As the AI assisted surgery demands only minimal incision on the patient’s body due to the knowledge of exact location, it helps in faster recovery, he added. Along with this, the patient could experience the improvement in joint stability, reduced post operative pain and quicker rehabilitation, Dr. Baskar noted.
“In conventional methods, we have to drill the bones to know the exact location which is in need of correction, but in AI method, the accurate location can be assessed through its sensing. Such advancements which reduce surgical procedures help in expediting the healing process,” he added.
Robotics surgery, which was also an advanced technique, required lot of effort in maintaining the hygiene of the robot which does the whole surgery, he said. If any mishaps take place in the robot, chances of surgical failure were more.
“Whereas in AI, with the accurate assistance provided by the system, surgeon performs the operation, so such complications can be avoided. Also, AI method is cost-efficient compared to robotics surgery,” he said.
Speaking about an important advantage of AI method, Dr. Baskar said, deformity and arthritis due to previous trauma and other diseases which could not be treated by conventional methods were also surgically treatable with AI technology.
