Computer Navigated Surgery

Total joint replacement surgery is the last resort to relieve pain and restore function in the joint damaged by arthritis or an injury when non-surgical treatments do not relieve the condition. The procedure involves replacing the damaged surfaces of the articulating bones with the artificial implant. The outcome and longevity of the joint replacement are in part related to the correct positioning of the implants. Computer assisted surgery helps the surgeon in accurate placement of the implants in the desired position.

Computer navigation provides the surgeon with the real time information of the mapped patient’s knee and the surgical instruments during surgery. The data for the images is provided by the infrared sensors fixed to the bones of the knee and the surgical instruments. Their position is tracked by an infrared camera placed above the surgical table connected to the computer. The computer than generates the real time images with the help of the appropriate software to guide the surgeon to precisely resurface and cut the bones of the joint. The surgery is done by the surgeon using the information provided by the navigation system and is just a tool to guide the surgeon and improve the accuracy of the surgery.