New Trends
Gender-specific total knee replacement
A gender-specific total knee replacement implant is a prosthesis that is specifically designed either for a male or a female. The size of the implant is slightly different to accommodate for the slightly different size of the bones between genders.
Traditionally, implant designs have been made using “average” size data. Gender-specific implants are designed in a similar way, except that the “average” is different for a man’s bone and a woman’s bone. The idea behind doing this is that by better replicating the normal anatomy, the joint replacement implants may allow for better function, as well as improved durability.
Custom Fit Total Knee Replacement
Techniques in total knee replacement have remained fairly consistent over the past few decades. Recently, the orthopaedic community has begun to explore new approaches to total knee replacement with custom fit technology.
With Custom Fit Knee™ replacement, the surgeon matches the size and placement of the implant to each particular patient which is based on a pre-operative MRI. Instrumentation and implants are pre-planned, based on the patient’s normal, non-diseased knee anatomy. This means that the surgery can be done accurately and quickly, with less intra-operative decision making required from the surgeon. Less bone is cut and all ligaments are spared, preserving the feel of a more “natural” feeling knee based on the patient’s normal knee function. The theory is promising, as well as some of the early results. The long term outcomes are yet to come.