New minimally invasive orthopedic knee procedure brought to San Antonio

Dec 22 2009

Foundation Surgical Hospital of San Antonio today announced it has brought MAKOplasty®, a minimally invasive orthopedic knee procedure, to San Antonio. Foundation Surgical Hospital is the only hospital in San Antonio — and the second of only three hospitals in Texas — providing MAKOplasty partial knee resurfacing, an innovative and minimally invasive surgical solution that enables orthopedic surgeons to treat patients with early to mid-stage osteoarthritis of the knee before it has impacted their entire knee.

“The biggest benefit to the patient is a quick return to a more productive lifestyle”

The MAKOplasty procedure is powered by the RIO^® robotic arm system, a breakthrough in orthopedic surgery, providing a precise 3D virtual image of a patient’s knee so that a surgeon can pinpoint osteoarthritis damage for repair while leaving healthy bone and tissue intact. Using a CT scan of the patient’s knee, the surgeon creates a preoperative surgical plan for optimal bone preparation and implant positioning. During the procedure, the RIO® system provides the surgeon with real-time visual, tactile and auditory feedback, enabling reproducible precision and optimal positioning of the implant within the knee. MAKOplasty® partial knee resurfacing makes it possible to resurface the damaged area of a knee without compromising the healthy bone and tissue surrounding it.

According to orthopedic surgeon Dr. Joel Nilsson, MAKOplasty is ideal for patients with early to mid-stage osteoarthritis of the knee who have been putting off knee surgery because of the recuperation time and pain involved. “Our goal is to help patients get back to living their life to the fullest – playing golf, playing with their kids, taking care of their home and working – things they may be having trouble doing because of constant knee pain. The new MAKOplasty technology can help them get back to living their lives more quickly and with less pain.”

Many of the people in San Antonio suffering from chronic knee pain may be concerned about the long recovery time and scarring of total knee replacement surgery. With MAKOplasty, an orthopedic surgeon is able to perform a partial knee resurfacing procedure that treats only the damaged areas of the knee. MAKOplasty® is designed to relieve the pain caused by joint degeneration, providing a quicker recovery and improved surgical outcome for patients with osteoarthritis in only one part of the knee.

“The biggest benefit to the patient is a quick return to a more productive lifestyle,” continued Dr. Nilsson, who performs MAKOplasty procedures at Foundation Surgical Hospital of San Antonio. “Patients who undergo a traditional knee surgery can often require six weeks to three months of recovery and rehab before being able to return to normal day-to-day life. With MAKOplasty, we can let most people go home within 24 hours and back on their feet in as little as one to two weeks.”