Robotic knee replacement | Wellesley Hospital

Spire Wellesley Hospital has become the first hospital in Essex to carry out a knee replacement operation using the NAVIO™ Robot assisted system

Designed and developed by internationally renowned technology experts Smith and Nephew, the NAVIO™ system is an outstanding leap forward in technology which will revolutionise knee joint replacement. It will allow surgeons to minimise the amount of bone removed from the damaged knee before positioning the implant in exactly the right place to achieve optimum joint stability.

Unlike other robotic-assisted tools, NAVIO™ takes away the need for a pre-operative CT scan to provide an image of the operation area. Instead a probe feeds a 3D ‘roadmap’ of the knee into a computer, providing the surgeon with all the information needed to create a specific surgical plan for each individual patient. The operation takes around 30 minutes longer than traditional knee replacement surgery, allowing time for mapping.

The computer then feeds back information about the knee allowing the surgeon to accurately remove damaged bone to make way for the implant. If the tool is passed over a part of the knee that doesn’t need removing, then the cutters automatically stop, not starting again until it reaches parts mapped out for removal.

Benefits of robot-assisted surgery

CT-free technology
Creates a more "normal" feeling knee
Improvement in recovery times
Less removal of healthy tissue
More precise placement of implant

How to book an appointment

As well as insured patients, we welcome self-funding patients. If you’re insured, please call and advise your insurance company that you're arranging an appointment with one of our Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeons, as you’ll need an authorisation code to book your appointment.

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What the Consultants say

Orthopaedic surgeons at Spire Wellesley Hospital have welcomed the investment in NAVIO™ and have described it as “an outstanding leap forward in technology which will revolutionise knee joint replacement.”

Mr Ravindran Kuzhupilly Ranjith, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon

"There is evidence that patient outcome in knee replacement is linked to accurate placement of implants. The NAVIO robot helps me with accurate placement of implants leading to faster recovery and potentially a longer lasting implant. Being a passive robot, NAVIO allows the surgeon to be in control at all times while providing more accurate cuts."

Mr Antony Greer, Consultant Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgeon

“I believe in years to come, we will look back at the current methods of positioning knee replacements in wonder and ask “why did we ever do that”. Its like sailing the Atlantic with a map and compass instead of GPS - traditional and achievable but unnecessary if you have the technology available to help.

NAVIO allows me to put the implant exactly where it needs to be for each individual patient to achieve the best outcome and improve the lifespan of the replacement.”

Spire Wellesley’s commitment to orthopaedic excellence

Working with leading consultants in their field, we have become the private hospital of choice for knee replacements in Essex and the surrounding area.

Spire Wellesley is leading the way in orthopaedic surgery and has been selected by industry experts Smith & Nephew to be the first hospital in Essex to offer this pioneering new system. This cutting edge technology has already been used successfully in the US to the benefit of many patients.

Our team of expert physiotherapists provide comprehensive prehabilitation programmes to help strengthen the limb before surgery to improve recovery. They use the onsite gym to support patient rehabilitation following surgery.

We offer fast access to appointments, which are available six days a week.

NAVIO™ statistics

NAVIO robotic assisted procedures have been carried out for over five years. There are 100+ NAVIO systems assisting with surgery worldwide spanning 13 countries.

Over 6,000 robotic assisted knee procedures have been carried out so far and over 300 surgeons worldwide regularly perform NAVIO procedures.*

Navio platform clinical success:

10+ peer reviewed clinical publications¹
50+ scientific abstracts accepted at peer reviewed scientific conferences²
The NAVIO handpiece accurately removes bone identified by the surgeon-approved, patient-specific plan³
Restoration of the joint-line height was significantly improved with robotics-assisted surgery compared with conventional techniques⁴

*Source: Smith and Nephew sales figures

¹Sharkey, P., et al. “Why Are Total Knee Arthroplasties Failing Today?” Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research. 2002 Nov;404:7-13

²Siddique, N., Ahmad, Z. “Revision of Unicondylar to Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Systematic Review” The Open Orthopaedics Journal 2012;6; (Suppl 2: M2) 268-275

³Lonner J., Smith J., et al., High Degree of Accuracy of a Novel Image-free Handheld Robot for Unicondylar Knee Arthroplasty in a Cadaveric Study. Clin Orthop Relat Res 2014 Jul 8. Epub

⁴Improved joint-line restitution in unicompartmental knee arthroplasty using a robotic-assisted surgical technique. Yannick Herry1 & Cécile Batailler1 & Timothy Lording2 & Elvire Servien1 & Philippe Neyret1 & Sebastien Lustig. International Orthopaedics (SICOT) 2017 Apr 2.

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Transforming knee joint replacement

Spire Wellesley Hospital has become the first hospital in Essex to carry out a knee replacement operation using the NAVIO™ Robot assisted system

Benefits of robot-assisted surgery

How to book an appointment

What the Consultants say

Spire Wellesley’s commitment to orthopaedic excellence

NAVIO™ statistics

Tell us what you think

Spire Wellesley Hospital has become the first hospital in Essex to carry out a knee replacement operation using the NAVIO™ Robot assisted system

Benefits of robot-assisted surgery

How to book an appointment

What the Consultants say

Spire Wellesley’s commitment to orthopaedic excellence

NAVIO™ statistics