UAB Highlands is the first orthopedic surgery group in the Southeast to begin using a cutting-edge technology for total knee replacement.

The surgery is less invasive than traditional knee-replacement surgery, leading to less blood loss, quicker recovery time and better implant fit and knee alignment.

Herrick Siegel, M.D., has been performing surgeries using Custom Fit Total Knee TM technology for more than two months, and his patients have had remarkable results. “I have never seen patients recover this quickly with minimal swelling post-operatively as they do with this,” Siegel says.

“Some patients go home within 48 hours after the procedure. As we do more I think we’re going to see consistent, predictable results.”

Though many improvements have been made in knee-replacement technology in the past few decades, the way the surgeon fits the implant into the knee hasn’t changed. Consequently, almost 14 percent of total knee-replacement surgery patients have reported being dissatisfied with their results. Siegel doesn’t expect that to be the case with the Custom Fit Total Knee replacement.

The implant, made by OtisKnee, appears to have more benefits to the patient and the doctor than the more unpredictable standard total knee-replacement surgery.

Natural-feeling knee

Surgeons have to use standard instrumentation and make many measurements during traditional knee-replacement surgery. Surgeons also drill an intramedullary rod into the patient’s femur or thigh bone to aid in proper alignment. This creates several risks, including a greater chance of cardiopulmonary complications caused by fat particles from the bone marrow entering the blood stream, blood loss and infection. In addition, more bone and a posterior cruciate ligament often are cut, causing the new knee to feel unnatural.

Surgeons now can match the fit and placement of the new knee implant to the patient’s unique anatomy with the Custom Fit technology. This can preserve more of the patient’s own bone and ligaments, which allows for better fit and knee alignment. It gives the patient a more natural-feeling knee, greater range of motion and a quicker return to normal activities.

“By not having to make any measurements during the surgery we’re cutting down on operating time and blood loss,” Siegel says. “We’re not making drill holes in the bones and placing long rods in the center portion of the canal.

“All of this cuts down on post-operative pain and blood loss, and this appears to translate into better results overall.”

This is accomplished with an MRI of the knee prior to surgery. The MRI is loaded into a computer program, which can re-establish the pre-arthritic state of the knee. OtisKnee then designs cutting blocks enabling the surgeon to align the implant perfectly.

“This new technology takes all the guess work out,” Siegel says.

Replacing both knees

Siegel says patients with severe bilateral osteoarthritis – where both knees need replacing – are especially good candidates for this surgery. Siegel says the surgery to replace both knees lasts slightly more than an hour and patients can go home three or four days later.

“It actually benefits many of these patients to have both knees done at the same time,” Siegel says. “If you do one side it’s often very hard for them to recover if the other side is severely painful and arthritic.

“I’ve done 25 Custom Fit Total Knee replacements so far and the patients seem to be very happy with it. There haven’t been any complications so far.”

Siegel says this new technology only is established for primary knee replacements, not those who have already had a knee replacement.

Siegel was named one of the Best Doctors in America for 2007 and selected for the Outstanding Faculty of the Year Award by the UAB Division of Orthopedic Surgery Residents. He is a preferred doctor for Blue Cross/Blue Shield, and there is no waiting for CT or MRI approval.

Contact Siegel at 930-8564 to find out if Custom Fit Total Knee replacement is right for you or someone you know. Also, visit www.uabsos.com to learn more.