‘Robotic-assisted surgery will be permanent cure for arthritis’

Helpful to those who complain of pain after undergoing total knee replacement surgery: doctor

A team of doctors explains the benefit of robot-assisted total knee replacement surgery in Nellore on Saturday.

Nagging knee pain for arthritis patients will be a thing of the past, thanks to the robot-assisted total knee replacement surgery(rTKR).

The new procedure will be helpful to those who continue to suffer from severe knee pain even after undergoing the conventional total knee replacement surgery, according to noted orthopedic surgeon Madan Mohan Reddy from Apollo hospitals.

‘Higher success rate’

Addressing the media here on Saturday, Dr. Madan Mohan Reddy said: ‘‘The success rate in conventional knee replacement surgery is about 90% to 95% but with robotic-assisted surgeries, the accuracy is cent per cent. Patients recover faster and relief is long-lasting.”

Depending on the condition of patients, less invasive treatment such as lifestyle modifications including weight loss and exercises, intra-articular shots physical therapy and knee braces, is suggested at first. ‘‘When there is no relief, a robot-assisted surgery is recommended. The surgery is also for those aged below 60 as more accurate implant positioning can be achieved,” he said.

The doctor said that the whole procedure would be performed by the surgeon with the assistance of a robot after a CT scan is taken to create a 3d model of the patient’s knee with a view to allow placement of implants more accurately.

“Small incisions combined with greater surgical precision will mean that less bone and soft tissue are disturbed, thereby speeding up the body’s natural healing process,’‘ he explained, adding that the rTKR technique allowed greater precision and enable the surgeon customize knee replacements considering each patient’s anatomy.