Oconomowoc Memorial Hospital performs partial knee resurfacing surgery using MAKOplasty technology

Dec 11 2009

For the first time in Wisconsin, patients suffering from arthritis pain have access to a new procedure that uses the precision of robotics to perform partial knee resurfacing surgery. The technology, called MAKOplasty®, is a minimally invasive surgical option that results in shorter hospital stays and faster healing than traditional knee surgeries.

“This is the most significant advancement in orthopedic surgery in 20 years,” said Daniel Holub, MD, Orthopaedic Associates of Wisconsin, an orthopedic surgeon at Oconomowoc Memorial Hospital, which is the only hospital in the state where MAKOplasty is being performed.

The MAKOplasty procedure combines three-dimensional images of the patients’ knee with global positioning-like technology to perfectly align the surgeon-guided robot, allowing surgeons to be much more precise than using their hand alone. The personalized result allows the surgeon to position the implant components much more accurately, which is not possible with conventional knee surgeries.

“It’s accurate to within less than one millimeter and less than one degree, which is a tremendous advantage,” explained Dr. Holub. “We’re able to very accurately align that portion of the knee, which means patients experience more natural knee movement after surgery.”

More than 15 million adults in the United States suffer from osteoarthritis of the knee, including 53-year-old Paul Komlodi, who recently underwent the MAKOplasty procedure at Oconomowoc Memorial Hospital.

Komlodi has experienced the difference between traditional knee replacement and the MAKOplasty procedure first-hand. He had total knee replacement surgery seven years ago, which involved four months of recovery. One month after the MAKOplasty procedure on his other knee, Komlodi was back to 75% of normal function. “It’s like night and day,” said Komlodi. “I was walking within hours of the surgery and now I’m able to be active with my family again.”

Oconomowoc Memorial Hospital is among only 23 hospitals in the world with the MAKOplasty technology.