Bone Preserving Knee Implant Custom Fit For Patients

Main Category: Bones / Orthopaedics
Article Date: 12 Nov 2008 - 3:00 PST

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On November 20, 2008 at 5 p.m. CET, OR-Live will broadcast a live surgery from the Asclepius Clinic in Bad Abbach, Germany, part of the Orthopedic Clinic for the University of Regensburg, utilizing a novel, personalized knee implant. The new prosthetic, the ConforMIS iUni™, is a unicompartmental knee resurfacing device designed for patients with arthritic damage isolated to either the medial or lateral tibiofemoral compartment of the knee.

The US FDA cleared and CE marked implant represents a significant advance in unicompartmental implant technology. The iUni is created using a virtual model of the knee made from the patient's CT scan. The implants and all cutting and placement guides are custom designed and matched to each patient's unique anatomy. This personalized fit enables the implant to achieve precise anatomic alignment and natural knee kinematics with less surgical intervention than a traditional knee replacement. The accompanying disposable iJig™ instrumentation is also patient-specific and enables a simplified, reproducible surgical technique.

Dr. Franz Xaver Koeck, a leading orthopedic surgeon at Bad Abbach, will perform the procedure along with Dr. Wolfgang Fitz, an orthopedic surgeon at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. Fitz is also a co-designer of the iUni system and a faculty member at Harvard Medical School. The webcast will be moderated by Professor Dr. med. Dr. h. c. Joachim Grifka, Chief Surgeon and Clinical Director of the Orthopedic Clinic for the University of Regensburg at the Asclepius Clinic in Bad Abbach and President of the German Orthopedic Society 2008.

The ConforMIS proprietary iFit™ 'image-to-implant' technology converts CT and MR data into implants that are designed to conform to the unique 3D structure of a patient's joint. The iFit design process interactively maps the diseased area and the anatomy to which the implant will conform. Using the patient-specific bone geometry, the technology defines the shape and size of the femoral and tibial components as well as the disposable instrumentation. The patient-specific cutting and placement guides reduce the number of steps during surgery and provide precise guidance to accurately place the instruments, simplifying the surgical technique. This personalized approach eliminates many of the bone cuts required in traditional surgery, helping to reduce surgical and recovery times. More than 150 patient-specific partial knee resurfacing procedures have been performed worldwide.

Viewers will have the opportunity to email questions to the surgeons during the procedure. This program is made possible by an educational grant from ConforMIS, Inc.

ConforMIS, iUni, iJig and iFit are trademarks of ConforMIS, Inc.

Learn more about this bone preserving approach to knee resurfacing by visiting: http://www.or-live.com

VNR: Knee Implant

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