Personalised knee replacement surgery

Signature™ personalised knee replacement system

Mr Hugh Clarke, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon at Spire Portsmouth Hospital, performs one of the latest methods of personalised knee replacement surgery the Signature™ personalised knee system (supplied by Biomet). The system provides a knee custom fitted to you, benefits of which can lead to a reduction in the time patients are in theatre and thereby under anaesthetic. 

How it works
An MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) 3D scan is used to plan the use of the Signature™ custom femoral and tibial positioning alignment guides, that enable the surgeon to create a detailed pre-operative surgery plan, tailored to the patient’s specific requirements.

Surgery
During surgery the guides are used in conjunction with the Vanguard™ Complete Knee System.  The personalised positioning guides are placed directly onto the femur (thigh bone) and tibia (shin bone) to allow the orthopaedic surgeon to accurately position the Vanguard™  knee implant thereby providing a custom fit specifically to the patient’s individual requirements, regardless of age, race, size, or gender. 

This less invasive surgical procedure, is similar to a traditional knee replacement but without the requirement to place instruments inside the thigh and shin bone to assist with alignment and positioning. This can significantly effect the outcome of the procedure by reducing medical complications and long term loosening rates. Guides are placed on the femur and tibia, the new knee is then positioned to your anatomy. At Spire Portsmouth Hospital the Signature™ knee replacement procedure is undertaken by orthopaedic consultant Mr Hugh Clarke.		Signature™ alignment guides
		Fig 1. Femoral alignment guide	Fig 2. Tibial alignment guide

Visionaire™ patient-specific knee replacement Surgery

Mr Andy Langdown, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon at Spire Portsmouth Hospital, is one of the first surgeons in the South of England to routinely use patient specific technology when undertaking total knee replacement surgery.

This technology allows accurate mapping of the patient’s knee, permitting increased accuracy of the surgery itself whilst at the same time reducing the invasiveness of the operation. This reduces the amount of postoperative pain and allows more rapid rehabilitation. The increased accuracy of implant positioning should also increase the lifespan of the knee replacement.

The Visionaire™ system uses an MRI scan and special x-rays to produce specific instruments for each individual patient. These instruments allow Mr Langdown to accurately reproduce the original limb alignment which replicates the patient’s own anatomy and therefore optimises the outcome of surgery.

Traditional Total Knee Replacement uses instruments placed inside the thigh and shin bone to assist with alignment and positioning. This can cause a considerable amount of bleeding and postoperative swelling. The Visionaire™ patient-matched alignment guides are placed directly on the outside of the bone, potentially allowing a less invasive procedure. The guides only fit one patient and only fit in the ideal position, thus minimising the chance of surgical error.

Mr Langdown says “This technology, combined with the Genesis 2 Knee Replacement System (which has 15 years of data to support its use), allows me to minimise the surgical insult to the patient whilst at the same time guaranteeing optimal implant positioning and implant longevity. Recovery is enhanced, pain reduced and patients are very satisfied.” Patients may therefore benefit from reduced blood loss and complications such as swelling and fat embolism, thus minimising their stay in hospital and improving their rate of recovery.

For more information on Visionaire™ patient matched knee replacement surgery contact Mr Langdown’s secretary on 02392 456157.

At Spire Portsmouth Hospital the Triathlon® Custom Fit Knee® replacement is undertaken by Orthopaedic Consultant, Mr Niall Flynn. For a consultation with Mr Flynn, please contact his secretary on 02392 649475.