London Clinic consultant Mr. Dinesh Nathwani successfully performed the world’s first BioPoly partial knee resurfacing procedure on the 9th January at The Advanced Therapies Centre, a newly launched clinical trials facility at The London Clinic, which aims to offer patients a range of innovative therapy choices by accessing trials and novel therapies.
BioPoly knee surgery in combination with anti-inflammatories allows the patient to immediately bear weight on their joint by using a new material, which is a combination of hyaluronic acid and ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene. The material combination is sufficiently strong to take the weight of the body, whilst maintaining a degree of flexibility that other standard metal replacements cannot. It also improves the wear qualities of the prosthesis and has a biologically lubricated surface that effectively interacts with the body’s natural tissues.
The procedure entails removing just the damaged cartilage and then attaching the prosthesis into place via a metal stud anchoring to the end of the bone. Given that this procedure preserves healthy bone and cartilage means that younger patients with knee problems, who may require further reconstructive work, will have as much healthy bone intact as possible. This will make future surgery not just viable, but also less complicated.
Those who benefit from the BioPoly procedure will be individuals with painful cartilage lesions of the femoral condyle, who may be unsuitable candidates for other procedures, such as joint replacement or biological treatments.
The first patient to receive the BioPoly prosthesis, Mary Keal comments:
“My experience of BioPoly so far has been excellent. I was in pain when crossing my legs or walking up stairs; anything where my knee was at an angle. Since my operation, this pain has completely disappeared. I was able to weight bear straight away with the aid of crutches, after 4 weeks I was cycling again, and at 7 weeks I am increasing the resistance.”
Her surgeon, Mr Dinesh Nathwani, who performed the operation, says:
“I am exceptionally pleased with Mary’s progress. The bone conserving nature of the procedure, along with the new BioPoly material used means that recovery has been relatively quick and the original pain experienced has disappeared.”
Written By Petra Rattue