The main indication for knee replacement surgery is increasing functional limitations and pain, which usually occur as a result of progressive degenerative or rheumatic changes or as a consequence of other diseases, including cancer. An alternative to classic endoprostheses, especially in young patients, are "custom made" personalized implants, which are customized for each patient. The first step in treatment is to perform imaging studies on specially calibrated CT scanners.
Such possibility exists at the Department of Clinical Radiology of UCC MUW. On this basis, a target knee implant and a 3D model of the knee joint are designed in Swiss-French collaboration using the dedicated KNEE-PLAN software. The custom implant is designed to replicate the patient's joint surfaces and physiological joint motion as accurately as possible. In accordance with the design custom surgical guides are manufactured and 3D printed to allow the surgeon to precisely position knee prosthesis intraoperatively with minimal interference with the bone tissue. "Custom-made" implants are often the only chance for patients to regain pain-free limb function.
The procedure was performed by a team composed of: Prof. Paweł Małdyk, MD, PhD (head of the Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology of the Locomotor System at UCC MUW), Radosław Słowiński, MD, PhD, and Łukasz Pulik, MD. The medical operators thank the entire anesthesiology and nursing team and Mediation Symbios.
Phot.: Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology of the Locomotor System UCC MUW
