MELBOURNE, FL – Wuesthoff Health System announced today that its Melbourne hospital is once again the first in Brevard County to offer an innovative robotic surgical option. This time it’s with MAKOplasty® Hip, total hip replacement surgery performed using the RIO® system, a highly advanced, surgeon-controlled robotic arm that enables the accurate alignment and positioning of implants. The surgery was performed on Friday Dec 16, at Wuesthoff Medical Center – Melbourne by orthopedic surgeon Daniel L. King, M.D.
“We were the first hospital to bring MAKOplasty® partial knee resurfacing to Brevard County in May of this year,” Administrator Susan Takacs said. “This is the next step in our efforts to continue offering new technology and surgical options to the community.”
The goal of using robotic arm technology to perform hip replacement is to attain consistent precision in surgery. Accurate placement and alignment of implant components are a critical factor in hip replacement. MAKOplasty Hip is designed to assist surgeons in attaining a new level of reproducible precision, to restore patients’ confidence in their mobility and help them return to active lifestyles.
“Getting implants positioned correctly is an important aspect in improving surgical outcomes and the lifespan of the implants used for hip replacement,” Dr. King said. “The robotic arm technology enables us to more accurately achieve the biomechanical alignments that are planned to fit the patient’s unique anatomy.”
Accurate alignment and positioning of implants using traditional manual total hip replacement techniques can be challenging. Massachusetts General Hospital recently reported in Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research that of 1,823 hip replacement patients treated over a sustained period of study, about half had acetabular cups positioned in the desired zone of proper inclination and version.
Here’s how MAKOplasty Hip works:
- The RIO system provides a patient-specific 3-D image of the patient’s hip based on a pre-operative CT scan.
- Using the 3-D model, the surgeon plans the optimal size and position of hip implant components. The position of these components is critical for proper biomechanical reconstruction of the hip.
- During the procedure, RIO provides visualization of the joint and biomechanical data to guide the bone preparation and implant positioning to match the pre-surgical plan
- The surgeon prepares the femoral bone for the implant, and subsequently measures the femoral component’s position using the system. The surgeon can then use the robotic arm to accurately ream and shape the acetabulum, and implant the cup at the correct depth and orientation
- To complete the procedure the surgeon implants the femoral implant and RIO provides summary data to confirm the hip implants are aligned according to plan.
Like other total hip replacement procedures, MAKOplasty Hip may be a treatment option for people who suffer from either non-inflammatory or inflammatory degenerative joint disease.
For more information about MAKOplasty® please call –1-800-522-6363.
