MDNews - South of Boston

COVER FEATURE STATE-OF-THE-ART TECHNOLOGY ALLOWS UNPRECEDENTED PRECISION the bone, and it gives us a level of precision we would not be able to attain with conventional joint replacement surgery," says Dr. Dabuzhsky. "We hope that patients undergoing this procedure may experience reduced blood loss, need less pain medication and recover more quickly." Total Hip Replacements The MAKOplasty procedure has added benefits specific to its use in total hip replacement procedures. Prior to this technology, a surgeon may not have realized if a patient moved under the drape during surgery. This could cause incorrect placement of the implant, resulting in an increased risk of instability or leg length discrepancy after the procedure. With MAKOplasty, the computer follows the patient's movements and ensures accurate placement regardless of the patient's position. "We can now plan the procedure and determine exactly where the socket will be and how it will be oriented, all with the use of 3-D imaging," says Dr. Dabuzhsky. "We can correct it as many times as we need to, until we get the optimal align- ment of the components, which we can see on the screen in 3-D. We were never able to do that before. Once the procedure is under way, the orientation is completely transparent to the surgeon, and he can see exactly where he needs to work." Dr. Dabuzhsky estimates that 90% to 95% of the joint replacement procedures that are done at Quincy Medical Center will now be performed using the MAKOplasty or Praxim systems. "This technology allows us to plan the surgery in advance and to verify every bone cut to within ¼ mm, or about 1/100th of an inch," says Dr. Dabuzhsky. "That is watchmaker's precision." "Quincy Medical Center is proud to offer our patients the latest technology and highest quality of care right here in their own community," says Daniel Knell, President and CEO of Quincy Medical Center. "We are also looking forward to opening our brand new orthopedic unit very soon, which will further enhance the overall experience for our joint replacement patients." For more information about MAKOplasty and robotically assisted joint replacement at Quincy Medical Center, please visit www.quincymc.org or call 1-800-488-5959. ■ 8 | South of Boston MD NEWS ■ MDNEWS.COM THE MAKOPLASTY SYSTEM features state-of-the-art technol- ogy that allows unprecedented precision during complex orthopedic surgeries. The technology consists of two components: a high-definition, patient-specific visualization system — which enables the surgeon to treat each patient in a totally unique manner — and a robotic arm, which is integrated with intelligent surgical instruments to provide the most accurate, least invasive procedure. The first step in the process is to map an appropriate presurgical plan using data from the patient's CT scan. The plan can be amended and honed until the surgeon has created the optimal path, sparing as much healthy bone and tissue as possible. This presurgical plan is entered into the digital tracking system, which constantly monitors and updates the plan as the surgeon works. The surgeon is able to make adjustments only within the parameters that have been set up in the presurgical plan. Any changes to the patient's position that take place during the operation are accounted for, and the implant is positioned and placed in the optimum location for maximum range of motion after the procedure. The robotic arm of the MAKOplasty system is integrated with intelligent surgical instruments. The tools provide visual, tactile and auditory feedback to the surgeon to ensure correct positioning. This feedback allows the surgeon to reproduce the presurgical plan with maximum precision. This state-of-the-art technology, along with the smaller incision and minimal loss of bone, provides the physician with a consistent, reproducible result. It also provides the patient with a shorter recovery time, as well as the potential for better range of motion and improved quality of life.

• Cover